Listen:
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” Hebrews 13:15(NIV)
Reflect:
We no longer need to offer sacrifices of bulls to God as was done in the Old Testament. What God requires of us is a continuous spiritual offering which is the sacrifice of praise. A constant stream of praise sacrifices must be the first fruits from lips that thankfully acknowledge God’s Name.
God desires words that reflect our grateful hearts. Therefore, the fruits of lips we offer to God must be gratitude and thanksgiving. It is the produce He expects and deserves from His children. Such fruits cannot be seasonal, occasional, or reserved for one day a year. It cannot be only when lines have fallen on us in pleasant places. That is no longer a sacrifice.
When the doctor’s words fell on me like heavy bricks threatening to bury me, I knew if I did not find the grace and strength to offer God a sacrifice of praise, I would trip over the precipice of despair. Praise broke the overwhelming yoke of heaviness in that season of my life.
It is hard to praise God in difficult seasons of life. Our focus tends to be on our problems, and we fail to see all the blessings in our lives. Our hearts cannot be full of praise and joy when we are fearful.
Praise is a sacrifice. It costs us something to give it. We choose to praise God. When we know that we will always triumph through Christ, the roaring praises of God will fill our hearts and overflow from our lips.
The truth is it is only through Jesus Christ and His enabling power that we can always offer praises to God. Our praises truly become a sacrifice in times of adversity and afflictions. God deserves praise and thanksgiving from our lips continually. Our lips must always produce and offer these fruits to God.
Questions to Ponder:
What is the quality of the fruits we offer God from our lips?
How often do we express the joy of our redemption through fruitful lips of praise?
Prayer of Response:
Dear Lord, make our lips blossom anew with thankful praises as we experience Your healing and the joy of Your salvation. May the sacrifice of praise gush out of our lips like a geyser continually, come what may, as Your Spirit brings words of praises to our lips in Jesus’ Name Amen.
—Submitted by Irene Olumese
Irene is a bilateral amputee who speaks and writes to inspire hope. As a certified Faith-Informed Transformational/Trauma Coach, Irene helps those facing adversities go beyond their traumatic experiences and find meaningful purpose. Irene is the Founder of the Feet of Grace Foundation, a charity organisation that provides prosthetic limbs for indigene amputees. She lives in Geneva with her husband, Peter.
(Feature photo: Shutterstock)
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