A Sacrifice of Praise

Heb. 13:15

"Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name."

Observations about my sacrifice of praise:

• It must be sacrificial. It comes from a life surrendered to God, a life that has given over desire for this world's system for citizenship in heaven. Surrender by its nature is sacrificial because it gives its personal rights to another. When I surrender to Him, I give Him my personal rights. In dependence on Him, I can offer a sacrifice of praise.
• It must be continual. It is not a one time offering, but an offering of every moment of my life. It must reflect my lifestyle and my delight in the Lord. To be continual it must be nourished and fed on the grace of God, the glory of the gospel, and the meat of the Word.
• It can only be offered through Jesus and His blood. His sacrifice allows me to come with confidence to the throne of grace and find the grace and mercy that I need to empower all that I do for God. If I offered this sacrifice in my own strength, I would be boasting in my abiliities, but God only wants me to boast in Him. He doesn't desire my performance but my dependence on His grace.
• Its substance is praise, praise for everything in my life, the blessing and the adversity. God works all things for my good because I am called according to His purpose. Instead of an OT sacrificial animal, God desires my praise. He wants me to acknowledge His name and give Him the glory and honor due to His name for His great grace.
• It's expressed through the fruit of my lips. This implies that my praise is a living thing. My growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus has produced fruit, the fruit of praise. If I am completely dependent on Him, grace fills my heart overflowing in praise to God. I will not be striving for my own will to be satisfied, but instead will delight to do the will of God.
• It is a must. There are no 'ifs' in this verse. My heart must resound in this sacrifice of praise.

Father,

Unite my heart to praise You from a heart that depends on You for all that I need. Purge my striving for control and fill it with Your amazing grace.

In Jesus name,

Amen