THE SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING
Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.
Ps. 107:22 (NKJV)
I never thought of thankfulness as a sacrifice until I began to study this verse. In the Old Testament, sacrifices of thanksgiving were made with unleavened bread (Lev. 7:12). However, in the New Testament, we are supposed to be “living sacrifices” (Rom. 12:1).”Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Heb. 13:15).
Do we give the thanks and praise to God that He deserves? No, because we can never thank or praise Him enough for our salvation, not to mention everything else. I think of the many times when my husband has hit the brakes to avoid an accident when we are traveling, and I quickly ask God for help. How do I thank Him? “Thank You, God.” That is not a sacrifice. Some definitions of sacrifice are surrender or take a loss. Spending more time in prayer thanking and praising God would be a sacrifice of time. Time is an important commodity in our busy world, and we need to give God more of it.
We have so much to be thankful for. How can we not spend the time necessary to thank God and praise Him? He has saved us, rescued us from hell. Certainly, a Christian’s life is not a garden of roses, but how could we get through the bad times without His grace? He is our protector and our provider. Through Him, we have joy and peace which the world cannot understand.
There are so many people who need prayer, but once in a while, pray without asking God for anything. Just begin thanking Him for all that He has done. You will leave the throne of grace rejoicing and feeling greatly blessed.
Heavenly Father, We praise You, and we thank You for salvation, provision, grace, protection, strength…May all the glory, honor, praise be to You! Amen!
DIG DEEPER
Read Lev. 7:12 and Rom. 12:1-2. Meditate on these verses.
HIKING THE TRAIL
What are some ways that you can make your thankfulness to God a sacrifice? Begin today and make it a habit.
Copyright 2014 Carolyn Dale Newell.
A Mountain of Faith 