Sacrifices of Praise

When reading from the book of Hebrews, I was struck with the phrase “the sacrifice of praise.”  Here is what the writer of Hebrews says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.  And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:15-16).

Notice several things from this text about the “sacrifice of praise.”

 1)      The Channel through which this activity is to be done is “Through Jesus.”

2)      The Frequency in which we should be involved in this activity is “Continually.”

3)      The Focus of our praise should be directed “To God.”

4)      The Mechanism through which the praise is to be uttered is “The fruit of lips.”

5)      The Content of the praise should be to “Confess His name.”

6)      The Result or what happens when we praise God is that “God is pleased.”

It is easy to utter words that do not have meaning because they are not expressions of our heart.  That is kind of like singing a song from memory – we know the tune, but we merely voice words which have little or no meaning.  Jesus made an interesting comment about some people who were simply mouthing words.  He said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Matthew 15:8). Their words were hollow because those words did not come from the heart.  When our lives have been changed by the renewing power of God’s Spirit within us, the fruit of our lips will be that which flows from our heart as a sacrifice of praise to God for who He is and what He has done for us. 

Let me ask you: Has your heart been changed by God?  Are you offering God the sacrifice of praise?  Do you talk about the mighty power of God and praise Him throughout the day?  Have you thanked God today for the air that you breathe?  Have you expressed your appreciation to Him for sending Jesus to die on the cross so your sins could be washed away?  Have you thanked Him for your family?  I encourage you, right now, to express your thanks and praise to God.  Let’s let the fruit of our lips be the expression of our hearts to God as we bring to Him the sacrifice of praise.

Remembering

Besides Mother’s Day there are two other very special days on the May calendar – Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day.  Both of these days are directed toward honoring the people who are connected with military services.  Armed Forces Day takes place on the third Saturday of the month and is a day to salute everyone in all branches of our nation’s military.  These men and women can be called upon at a moment’s notice to perform a risky and perilous mission for our country.   President Harry Truman announced the observance of this day in a presidential proclamation in 1950.

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, was designed as a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s military service.  Although observance of this day started much earlier, in 1971 Congress officially designated the last Monday in May to celebrate this day.  As we remember men and women who have given their lives, we are reminded of the famous war poem “In Flanders Fields” which was written by Major John McCrae, a surgeon in the Canadian Army.  In the absence of the chaplain, McCrae performed the funeral ceremony for a soldier who had been killed.  The next day, while looking across the nearby cemetery he penned the poem, which only took him about 5 minutes to place the words on paper.  Dissatisfied with his scribbling, he threw it away only to have a fellow officer retrieve the paper and send it to newspapers in England where it was published.  The poem reads:

       In Flanders Fields the poppies grow – Between the crosses row on row,

       That mark our place; and in the sky – The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.  We are the Dead. Short days ago –

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.  If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow – In Flanders fields.

We are encouraged to take time during May to show honor and respect to those who are serving our country and for those who have given their lives for our freedom.  The scriptures remind us to, “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king” (I Peter 2:17).  We are also encouraged to “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13:7).  We are also told, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10).

As you reflect on the great sacrifices made by our military men and women, offer a prayer of thanks to God.  If someone in your family, or a friend, has given their life in the service of our country, talk to another member of your family and together thank God for them.  At a family gathering you may want to observe a few minutes of silence and then offer a prayer of thanksgiving.  Above all, let’s show honor and respect to those who served our country and are still serving in harm’s way.