I am constantly reminded of the goodness of our God. He is faithful as He is righteous.

We must decrease, that He may truly increase and be Lord over our lives.

As I prepare my sermon for this coming Saturday, God's gentle reminder has been ringing in my heart: "To obey is BETTER than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22).

The Christian that He seeks, His followers, His sons and daughters, His heirs; in short, us - His heartbeat for us is that we OBEY His Word, rather than make sacrifices out of guilt due to disobedience.

Over the past two months, I learned and grew. More than I have for some time. What I thought obedience was, I re-learned its' definition in this new season of my life.

St. Gregory "the Great" (540-604) helps put things into a profound one-liner, "In sacrifices a man offers only strange flesh, whereas in obedience he offers his own will."