This thought just hit me:  while our worship in this life can be acceptable and indeed pleasing in God’s sight…

• “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.  And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16)
• “But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of” Thy people. (Psalm 22:3, KJV)

… it’s clear to me that it’s not fully SUFFICIENT in terms of what He DESERVES.

There’s zero contradiction in those two realities since He knows and has known in advance, before the beginning of creation, that even just our humanity, our finite, flesh-enveloped status, would make if impossible to give Him ALL of the worship and praise and thanks to which He is truly and fully due.

I think the principle is the same as the fact that He NEVER condones yet ALWAYS forgives our sins when we confess and repent.  Zero contradiction.

• “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

I think it’s also the same principle as the equal and concurrent realities of His perfect will and His permissive will.

His perfect will was that ancient Israel wouldn’t prefer and choose to have a human king (that passage of Scripture should definitely appear in the dictionary under “bonehead choice/decision” or “d’oh!”) but His permissive will allowed that and He continued to intimately walk and work with them (e.g., David, Solomon, and others).

Likewise, His perfect will is that NONE of us EVER sins.  Yet His permissive will forgives those very sins when we confess and repent and indeed, it was for that VERY PURPOSE that Christ lived and died.

• “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.  ” (1 Peter 2:21-24) (Perhaps the longest, probably the greatest single sentence  ever!)
• “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8b)

Therefore, it fully follows that our worship and thanks and praise can be ENOUGH to please Him and yet NOT all that He deserves.

But here’s the main part of the thought that hit me just a few minutes ago, before beginning this post:  what about our worship when we’re in HEAVEN, will THAT be everything  He deserves?

Interesting question.  I’m not even trying to answer this, not pursuing a takeaway because what I do  know for sure  is that we can’t know things like this while on earth, on this side of the eternal divide, given our finite faith and minds…

• “The secret things belong to the LORD our God…” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

… but it’s great food for thought.

How great Thou art, Lord God, how great Thou art indeed.  Thank You for patiently putting up with our inherent inability to give You ALL of the worship and praise and thanks and affection and attention and focus that You deserve.  Indeed, thank You for giving us even the ability to give you a sufficient level of those things so as to garner and produce Your pleasure like we just read in Hebrews 13:15-16.

May we be diligent and determined to AT LEAST give Him that.  Each and every day.

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