To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice
To please God and experience healing, we must cultivate a spirit of obedience, praise, and thankfulness.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes that obedience to God is more valuable than sacrifices, highlighting that our healing is a reward for our obedience. He encourages believers to approach God with a thankful heart, as praise is the most acceptable service to Him. Thankfulness fosters trust and faith, allowing us to focus on the positive aspects of God's character rather than our troubles. By cultivating a cheerful disposition, we can find encouragement in our lives and eliminate doubt and fear. Ultimately, a joyful heart reflects God's radiance and leads to a buoyant life.
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0ur healing is represented as a special recompense for obedience. If, therefore, we would please the Lord and have the reward of those who please Him, there is no service so acceptable to Him as our praise. Let us ever meet Him with a glad and thankful heart, and He will reflect it back in the radiance of our countenance and the buoyant life and springing health which are but the echo of a joyful heart. Further, thankfulness is the best preparation for faith. Trust grows spontaneously in the praiseful heart. Thankfulness takes the sunny side of the street and looks at the bright side of God, and it is only thus that we can ever trust Him.
Unbelief looks at our troubles and, of course, they seem like mountains, and faith is discouraged by the prospect.
A thankful disposition will always find some cause for cheer and a gloomy one will find a cloud in the brightest sky and a fly in the sweetest ointment. Let us cultivate a spirit of cheerfulness, and we shall find so much in God and in our lives to encourage us that we shall have no room for doubt or fear.
Sermon Outline
- I. Obedience as a Key to Healing
- A. Our healing is a reward for obedience
- B. Obedience is the best service to God
- II. The Power of Praise
- A. Praise meets God with a glad and thankful heart
- B. Praise reflects God's radiance and joy
- III. The Importance of Thankfulness
- A. Thankfulness prepares the heart for faith
- B. Trust grows spontaneously in a praiseful heart
Key Quotes
“If, therefore, we would please the Lord and have the reward of those who please Him, there is no service so acceptable to Him as our praise.” — A.B. Simpson
“Trust grows spontaneously in the praiseful heart.” — A.B. Simpson
“Let us cultivate a spirit of cheerfulness, and we shall find so much in God and in our lives to encourage us that we shall have no room for doubt or fear.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We should cultivate a spirit of obedience and praise to please God and experience healing.
- Thankfulness is a key preparation for faith, helping us look at the bright side of God.
- By focusing on the bright side of God and our lives, we can overcome unbelief and fear.