Is God Getting Your Best? - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) September 22, 2026

God reserves His best for His children and desires that we enjoy it always, but is He getting our best? We likely don't ask ourselves this question often, but today, we shall take some time to examine God's word and allow Him to show us where we could improve.

The Lord is kind and gracious to the wicked and righteous. Psalm 103:10 tells us that despite our sins, the Lord does not deal with us as we deserve. The Psalms repeatedly tell us that "His mercy endures forever." We see that although Moses was imperfect, God still used Him. It was the same with Jonah, who disobeyed God but found mercy when he repented and gave praise.

Thankfully, the Lord doesn't ignore flawed individuals like us (Matthew 5:45). He took us from living for our flesh to living with heaven in mind through Jesus Christ. We are still being refined by Him, becoming more like His original design for us. We are His royal priesthood, the vessels to be used as threshing tools for His purpose.

This is why we must take stock of our lives and ensure that God is getting interest for the gifts and skills He has placed within us. Remember the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25? One servant failed to produce a profit for his master. We can't be wasteful like him. He was called wicked, worthless, and lazy for failing to honor his fiduciary duty.

We also must desire to be 'good soil' for the Lord. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus taught that some people will yield 30-fold for the Kingdom of God, while others will produce 60- and 100-fold (Mark 4:20). Which group do we want to belong to?

And the wonderful thing is that God is happy to help us be more profitable for Him. His Holy Spirit is the key, and the more we submit to His leadings, the more fruitful we become for the King of kings. As we study the Bible and receive godly understanding of what it contains, we see the ways God is calling us to change and become vessels of honor for His glory (2 Timothy 2:20).

Recently, I examined myself and realized I must do better. I needed to kill my flesh even more. I needed to pay more attention to my desired destination - heaven. And be a better steward of everything the Lord had placed in my hands. I had to do better when impatience sprang up, for instance. The time wasted online, albeit mostly on pet videos and Christian content, was also an issue.

This required calling on the Lord for help so that my flesh wouldn't steer me into trouble. It required reviewing God's word and its requirements. I had to depend all the more on the Holy Spirit, trusting that He wouldn't allow me to fail as long as I cooperated in obedience. The process isn't over, but it has been eye-opening to be reminded how much more I need God than I understand.

Ask yourself, what is keeping you from giving God your best? Is there a behavior that draws you out of true obedience and submission? Ask the Lord for grace, mercy, and wisdom. Pray not to be tempted and pray against willful sin. Go into a scriptural fast so that you can kill the sinful desires and worldly instincts that keep you from being an even better child of the Lord.

God will gladly accept the responsibility to help you. We are told in 2 Corinthians 1:21 that He will enable His people to stand firm in Christ. Hebrews 13:21 states that He will "equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." That is your portion, IJN, Amen.

What are your thoughts? Please share them. And as you wait for fellowship, watch the video in the Altar Call and read these old posts:

1. Serve with your Talents & Gifts

2. Give God What He Wants To Get What You Want

3. The Parable of the Sower

4. Your Fiduciary Duty To God

5. What Would God See When He Looks At Your Heart?

6. Be About The Father's Business

7. Don't Be Wasteful

8. Do You Look Like Him?

9. God Wants You To Have The Best

10. Topic: Fruitfulness, Fruit

11. Topic: Please the Lord

12. Topic: The Wicked/Evil

13. Topic: God's Best