Ask Not What Your God Can Do For You...

"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." 
1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV)

Do you ever treat your relationship with God like a business transaction?

In President Kennedy's famous inaugural address, he challenged Americans with the words, "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country." That statement mirrors a profound spiritual truth. Sometimes we approach our relationship with God as a formula: Sunday worship, plus a tithe check, plus occasional good deeds, equals God's favor and blessings from heaven’s bank account.

The writer of first Samuel shatters this equation. God doesn't need your burnt offerings or sacrifices. He isn’t collecting animal carcasses in the Old Testament for His benefit—He is teaching His people obedience through these actions.

Everything God asks of you—your worship, service, time, and devotion—isn't for His sake but yours. He lacks nothing and needs nothing from you. The truth is that when you obey Him, you're not adding to His greatness–you’re participating in your own transformation.

God gives you faith to know Him, prepares good works for you, and equips you with talents to accomplish them—all to shape you into the person He has created you to be. Your obedience isn't payment; it's participation in His divine purpose for your life.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for inviting me to participate in Your good plans for me. Forgive me for the times I approach our relationship as a transaction. Help me see that Your commands are for my benefit, not Yours, and thank You for the privilege of obedience that transforms me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.