God Doesn't Want Sacrifice (Hosea 6:4-7:2)

We hear the apostle Paul exhort us to live as living sacrifices before the Lord. David confesses that the Lord does not want burnt offerings and Hosea echoes David's confession. So, how do we live as living sacrifices and honor our God? We will see that our God calls us to live before him with a sincere heart tuned into his purpose.

Thanking God (4-7)

Paul is thankful for this man who creates more stress for Paul while Paul has enough to think about while being in Prison.  Why is Paul thankful for this additional work?  What can Paul celebrate in the midst of his circumstances?  What does this teach us about a true grace-centered and Gospel-centered joy?

What is True Thanksgiving? (1 Peter 1:3-9)

Thanksgiving is a time where we find our joy by counting our blessings.  There is nothing necessarily wrong with counting our blessings, but what is the basis of our blessing?  Peter challenges us to see that there are trials that we can be thankful for as well.  Why would be thankful for trials?  What hope does Peter give in calling our attention to thankfulness even in the midst of trials?  Or is Peter just telling us to be happy because the Lord commands us to be happy?