Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 

Hebrews 13:15-16

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For this series, we’re doing something really fun with our devotionals. As we welcome back some of our favorite pastors and teachers from years past on Sunday mornings, we’re going to “welcome back” devotionals from the past few years! We hope you enjoy these posts that garnered quite the heartfelt response when they first found their way into your inbox and on the Willow app.

Songs speak to the soul. But does music move your heart to action?

I’ve listened to “Goodness of God” by Bethel Music on repeat, almost daily, for the past two years. I know because it’s #1 on my top playlist and Spotify keeps telling me it’s my most played song. Without fail the lyrics grip me every time. The live version is my favorite. When I hear others sing along, I remember our faith is bigger than me and we’re in this together. If you’ve got five minutes, check out the song here. You won’t be disappointed.

So why does “Goodness of God” speak to my soul so profoundly? You see, God has been faithful all my life—even when, especially when, I’ve been unfaithful to Him. The same is true for you, for all of us. It’s why I listen to, sing, and encourage people I love to dig deeper into the presence, power, protection, and provision of God starting with this simple song. But just listening isn’t enough.

Today’s passage cuts to the heart of true worship. If you read all of Hebrews, the phrase “let us” is used 12 times. The invitation throughout the book is to move forward together, to pursue and experience maturity in Christ side by side. In Hebrews 13:15-16, the author implores us to draw on Jesus as the source of our worship. But our worship of God must be two-fold.

Our challenge is to honor God not just in song but in action. There’s sacrifice involved in consistently praising the Lord with our lips, and we can’t stop short by simply singing or speaking our gratitude. We need to be reminded, nudged, stirred to do good and serve others too. In short, you and I need to live our playlist.

I’m going to listen to “Goodness of God” again before I jump into whatever’s next. But today, I’m committed to letting the lyrics remind me to sacrifice by singing and serving. Will you join me? I wonder how the Lord will guide us to live our playlist, to praise God for His goodness and do good to others on His behalf.

Next Steps

Listen to your favorite worship song. Then put your praise into practice by serving someone today.

Explore areas to serve at Willow here and try one that moves you.