Proverbs 15:7-8

⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not upright. ⁸The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

Gratify

What one gratifying incident that you wish to experience regularly all the days of your life? Is it most gratifying to you, if you can do the things you love to do? Have you pondered what you want to do all the days of your life on earth? Do you like watching TV or making videos? Do you like to travel, sing or bake?

Will you be gratified, if you can enjoy your favorite activity all your life?

Most employed people want to follow their dreams eventually. They cannot wait to retire. Why? Were they employed for salary to pay their bills? Have they enjoyed their work? How about employers? Do entrepreneurs, business owners or employers wish to retire? Pray that you may discover a career that you may love to spend your precious time with and never look forward to retiring.

If you enjoy what you are doing now, working or studying, you may have discovered the purposes of your life. In everything we do, legalities should be considered. Illegal activity is not a pleasant choice; there is fear of being caught.

Have you discovered it, if obeying the Lord is pleasant kind of life? Will God bless us if he is pleased with us? Blessing from God is extremely gratifying kind of life. Seriously reflect on what King David testified in Psalm 66:18-20.

¹⁸If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; ¹⁹but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.²⁰Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

When God answers our prayers, we are blessed. When we’re blessed, we cannot help but to praise God. When God answers our prayers, it is appropriate response to praise God spontaneously. What prayer item are you waiting for to be answered? King David testified that God ignores our prayers if we cherish sin in our heart. To cherish sin is to treasure, value and cannot let go of sin.

It’s smart to make sure we don’t cherish sin in our heart so that God hears us and answers our prayer. When God answers our prayers, we spontaneously praise God as response and tell others and spread about his love and goodness.

1.  Spread

        ⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not upright.

Everyone can commit mistake. No human being can be perfect always. Mistake should prompt us to evaluate our approach. When we know that it is a mistake and we change our ways or adjust our approach, that’s wise and smart.

It is admirable to persist in doing what’s right. But foolish people persist on repeating the same mistake and hope that there will be changes somehow.

Famous Father

If you can change anything about your life, have you ever wished that your parents are wealthy celebrity? Wealthy and famous parents can be blessing and also curse. Lately, the son of a very rich and popular basketball player was found to have illegal drugs in his possession. He’s also charged with DUI (driving under influence). Accordingly, he agitatedly told to the traffic officers who stopped and flagged him down, “Hey Bro, I am the son of the most popular basketball player!”

There are people who were born in poverty and become successful. There are also privileged children born into a family with wealth, connections and great opportunities who end up making lousy choices. Foolish children born to wealthy high profile individuals blow away with their chances to do amazing things.

Someone asked, “Is it really very horrible to have high profile life that they engage in despicable and embarrassing activities? Does living in the shadows of the high profile parents add more pressure to measure up to their standards?”

Rich or poor, Christian parents are mandated to educate their children.

Reflect on what it advised in Ephesians 6:4 (ICB), ⁴Fathers, do not make your children angry, but raise them with the training and teaching of the Lord.

Parents can only do so much. Each child is accountable to his/her actions. Children may listen to parents or not, Christian parents are mandated to wisely do parenting. No amount of sacrifice can cover up failure to discipline children. The son of popular basketball player messed with his life. His father exemplified how to be successful but obviously, his parenting job was sacrificed.

2.  Sacrifice

⁸The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

Can anyone be legally righteous consistently according to the Scripture? Well, Pharisees observed the highest standard of human righteousness. Can you believe that? Pharisees legally give the tithes of God. They are strictly committed to giving the tithes of God, even to the point that they are not ashamed to ignore the needs of their parents. They fast and pray regularly. They love public praying. So, what group of people can surpass the human righteousness of Pharisees?

But still Christ declared that if we hope to enter heaven we have to surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees. Reflect on what Christ says in Matthew 5:20.

²⁰For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Pharisees have the highest standard of human righteousness but they cannot automatically enter heaven, why? God is holy, and anyone who enters heaven must be holy. God is perfect, and anyone who enters heaven must be perfect. Perfect righteousness is required to enter heaven. No sinful person can enter heaven. We are all is sinful. But the Lord took all our sins and crucified them with Jesus. The shed blood of Jesus on the cross washed away our sins.

By faith, we believe that mysterious design of salvation. God accepts all who believe in Christ. Are you now confident that God will accept your prayer?

The Lord Jesus told a parable to teach against those who are confident of their human effort of righteousness in Luke 18:11-14, ¹¹The Pharisee prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers —or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” ¹³But the tax collector would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” ¹⁴I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Not a very few are aware that Pharisaical righteousness is the highest standard of righteousness that can be achieved by human effort. Pharisees are very prayerful; they fast twice a week; they give God’s tithes regularly. But their legalities of righteousness still fall short of perfect standard righteousness of God. God is not impressed by the highest human effort of Pharisaical righteousness.

Jesus Christ requires us to surpass Pharisaical righteousness to qualify for heaven. How can we surpass Pharisaical righteousness? The righteousness that pleases God is the righteousness as a result of our faith in Christ. How can we distinguish righteousness by faith in Christ from righteousness by human effort?

Righteousness by human effort will thirst and hunger for recognition. In comparison, righteousness as a result of faith in Christ brings contentment. It brings glory and praise to God. We praise God instead of seeking for applause.  Appreciated or not, it won’t matter. When the Holy Spirit produces love, joy and peace in us we could sense gratification in doing what is right in the eyes of God.

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