We were made to praise God. As the Reformed tradition confesses, our chief purpose is “to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism). To glorify God means to enter into the joy of our salvation. It means that all that God has done for us in Christ directs our living and thanksgiving.

Revelation 5 shows that the grace poured out on us by the Lamb, who was slain, is at the center of our praise. An old hymn says it well: “Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.” Just as an instrument needs to be rightly tuned, so do our hearts.

It’s so tempting to want praise directed at our own accomplishments. But the Bible is clear that we are unworthy of the blessings we receive. We’re called to declare the praise of the God who spoke us into being and rescued us from the power of sin and death by the self-sacrifice of the worthy Lamb, Jesus Christ, who had no sin.

All else that we do well in life—all we accomplish and all we contribute to God’s kingdom of peace—flows from God’s saving grace. So in gratitude we raise our thanks to the Lamb on the throne. His grace covers all our sins and shame, and his grace will lead us home. Is your heart tuned for gratitude today?