![]() As the writer of Hebrews expressed, “For we have no city here on earth to be our permanent home, but we seek the city that is destined to come. To praise sacrificially is to worship in spite of what it’s costing us right at the moment. To come before God like a wounded soldier that’s seen action in the battle with all of our scars, disfigured by the conflicts we didn’t win, and continue to declare his goodness. I also think it means to praise in spite of our disappointments. To take a stand and praise according to the testimony of past faithfulness as we wait in anticipation. Britain and Katie Torwalt’s song “I Praise Before My Breakthrough” is the perfect example of this thought. I think to praise God sacrificially means to honor him in the darkness before we’ve seen victory. A sacrifice costs something more than our discomfort. However, I don’t believe the psalmist was referring to the music wars of “praise choruses” versus the hymnal. To leave it behind and embrace the challenge of the unknown and uncomfortable can be a sacrifice of a sort. It’s hard to let go of the comfort of familiarity and the joy of memories. Music taps into our emotional history, enabling us to re-experience the pleasures we initially felt when we first sang those songs. It’s always easier to live in the land you know with its familiar landscape and beloved memories. They had no desire to embrace the new and unfamiliar, even if it meant attracting a younger generation to Jesus. Many people considered it a real sacrifice to let go of the music they had grown up with. I saw a lot of this as a new Christian when the church was in the process of going from the hymnal to more contemporary music. The sight was sad and comical at the same time. It was clear by their expression and their posture – frowning, arms crossed, their bodies bristling with displeasure. When I used to sing with the praise team, I would look out, and there would inevitably be one or two folks singing under protest. Have you ever considered what “sacrifice” in that phrase truly means? For some folks, it means they have to sing songs they don’t want to sing. That song simply did not evoke any real thoughts of “sacrifice.” (Honestly, as I sat here and ran it through my mind, I started bouncing in my chair.) Song Wars I willingly offer You my life as a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.When I was a member of the choir early in my walk with Jesus, one of the praise choruses we sang was “We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise” etc. My heart’s desire is to focus on You and not be self-centered. Help me to remember to praise You in all circumstances. As we praise, honor and thank Him, our circumstances may not change, but the peace of the Lord will fill our hearts. Yes, this is a sacrifice when going through difficult times, but the reward is great. We now must offer our lives back to Him in praise and thanksgiving. Jesus Christ laid down His life for us – the ultimate act of sacrifice – and He thereby set an example for us of sacrifice. My child was totally dependent on me and I came to know the rewards of living my life for someone else. ![]() When I had my first child, I had my first lesson in self-sacrifice. In the “me first” world, I easily am caught up with thinking that the world revolves around me. ![]() Over the years I have learned that praising and thanking God takes the focus off of me and turns it to God. Praise sprang up from David’s heart of thankfulness to the Lord for his deliverance. They reflect Israel’s awareness that praise must follow deliverance when God is to be honored. (II Samuel 22:4) God is indeed worthy of our praise and thanksgiving! Many of the psalms reflect the theme of praise. After the Lord had delivered David from the hand of his enemies and from Saul, he praised God in song: I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. As King of Israel, he continued to praise and thank God for His hand upon his life and the people of Israel. ![]() David knew the Good Shepherd from the time he was a shepherd in the fields. (Hebrews 13:15-16) Praise and thanksgiving as a form of worship begin with our knowing the love of God. Do not forget or neglect to do kindness and good. The Amplified Bible describes a sacrifice of praise: 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. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, forth such sacrifices God is pleased. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name. ![]()
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