Devotional: A Sacrifice of Praise (Part 1)
Christian Devotion about praise and thanksgiving
Through Him,
therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips
that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name. - Hebrews 13:15 (AMP)
Sometimes we just don't
'feel' like praising God—we may feel 'flat' and 'unmotivated'. Yet, it's at these times that we need to praise
God all the more! It's truly a sacrifice
when we offer up to God our praise and thanksgiving when we don't feel like doing so. Praising Him and giving Him
thanks when we're facing challenging circumstances is often difficult to do and we have to muster up everything
within us just to praise Him and thank Him in those times. But when we do this, it can uplift us—because we're
taking our eyes off ourselves and our problems and refocusing on God. It's so important to
develop a habit of praise and thanksgiving because it changes everything! We can start to experience His joy and
peace even in the midst of real difficult situations, and we become more aware of His presence. It's also worth
noting that we are encouraged to offer up a sacrifice of praise at all times, not every now and then and
not only when we feel 'in the mood'. We must choose to praise Him in times of sadness and joy, in times
of grief and despair, when we're angry and hurt—and as we keep doing this, He will meet us in that place of pain.
It may feel strange and uncomfortable at first, but we need to press through that awkwardness and keep on praising
and thanking Him. We can start each day
with thanksgiving and praise, giving Him the first few minutes of our day, and as we make this our habit, we may
find that we want to linger longer just communing with our Lord. We have so much to be
thankful for as a child of God: Salvation, Forgiveness, Eternal Life, Grace, Mercy—and so much more! If you don't
think you have anything in your life to be thankful for, just the sheer fact that you are a child of God and have
been saved from the pit of hell is more than enough to praise and thank the Lord, for now and for all eternity—especially
when you consider what it cost Jesus to redeem you! I encourage you to ask
God to help you develop the practice of praise and thanksgiving to your precious Lord and Saviour, because when
you do this regularly and intentionally, it becomes like a natural conversation. You will find that you're thinking
of the Lord a lot more and talking to Him throughout the day a lot more. © By M.S.Lowndes
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