Our lives are filled with thoughts and questions about worth. Is it worth it to take the time and read this article? Is this old thing worth keeping? Should I buy this object now or should I find a sale? Why did God save me when I am not worthy? We ask many questions regarding worth. From these examples we see some questions are important to think about while others are much more trivial. An important question we must ask is, of what is God worthy that I must render to Him? God is worthy that every aspect of our life be directed to Him. But it is easier to direct that life to God when we know of some things God is worthy of receiving. According to the Heidelberg Catechism (L.D 32 Q.A. 86), we must do good works, “that so we may testify by the whole of our conduct our gratitude to God for His blessings, and that He may be praised by us.” We learn here that God is worthy of gratitude and praise. We must know what these expressions truly are, and how they are related to one another.
Gratitude is perhaps the most important thing of which God is worthy. This is because all our other actions, although they are all distinct, flow from our gratitude. To understand gratitude, we can think of how we express it to one another. If a friend is given a great gift which gives him joy and fills his heart with excitement, then he might give a card or gift in return to make his generous friend happy. If expressing gratitude is the recipient of a gift giving pleasure to the faithful giver then we must know how to bring pleasure to God. Remember back to creation when God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass…And the earth brought forth grass…and God saw that it was good,” (Gen. 1:11-12). God finds pleasure when His people, like the grass, fulfill their created purpose and give Him glory. To show our gratitude to God and please Him, we must be obedient to His holy law and give Him all glory. This faithful obedience must be revealed by our actions and flow from a heart of gratitude and love for God.
Our praise too comes from an acknowledgement for what God has done. However, it is not simply because He has given us so much that God deserves praise. It is because God is God that he is worthy of praise. Often, we find things on this earth worthy of praise because of their price or uniqueness. We may praise a house for its lavish decoration and elegant construction, but how much greater is God than the greatest thing one could ever give earthly praise and admiration to? God is worthy to receive praise because He alone is worthy of the glory that praising gives. In His essence, “God is infinitely exalted above all His creation and there is none like Him” (Hoeksema, Essentials of Reformed Doctrine, L:3).
As the children of God, we have so many reasons to give God this praise of which He is worthy. As God’s children we are not only more aware of who God is and how worthy He is, but also we feel His hand upon us bestowing us with many gifts. Yet, even with all our knowledge and experience of His blessings we still have so much to learn about God. My next few articles will continue to show what God is worthy of so that we might better render unto God that which is His.
Luke Christian Potjer
Young Calvinists 