Therefore by Him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15
Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
Our world is full of heartbreak, and it is easy to become weighed down by the cares and fears of life. Unfortunately, we are good at making our problems more significant than God sees them. Two of the keys to putting our worries and fears in the proper perspective are being thankful and honoring God. When He is dishonored by indifference to His blessing or an entitlement attitude, our thinking becomes twisted, and our hearts darkened. A dark heart cannot perceive spiritual reality, discern truth from lies, and loses its sensitivity to the desires and affections of the Lord. (Romans 1:18-32).
Honoring God is easier when times are good or we’ve had a big victory. However, there will be times when if we are going to praise Him, it begins as a sacrifice. A biblical example is when Paul and Silas were viciously beaten and thrown into a dungeon for preaching the gospel in Macedonia. At midnight, in the most dreadful place in the prison, they began to pray and sing praises to God. Life seemed hopeless at that moment, but amid their pain and praise, God broke through with a fantastic miracle (Acts 16:23-25).
A “sacrifice of praise” is something we intentionally do. It is a choice to honor God regardless of circumstances. But unfortunately, it doesn’t always seem genuine. Feeling as if you are faking your praise is not all that unusual. The writer of Hebrews knew this and exhorted us to offer the sacrifice of praise continually. The key is the first words, “By Him…,” speaking of Jesus. Like all things of God, genuine praise and thanksgiving are by Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is His grace working in us. God would not have called us to continual praise and thanksgiving if He did not give us the power to do so.
The “fruit of our lips” is the expression of the heart. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). The cultivation of an inward life that stands in awe of God, with a heartfelt love for Him, is the rich soil for gratitude to flourish. Yet it does say “lips.” Not just heart, not just thoughts or attitude. Proverbs 12:6 says, “The mouth of the upright shall deliver them.” We have the power to choose to use our lips beneficially with honoring words or harmfully with words of suspicion, skepticism, and self-pity.
I have found that personal, heartfelt praise and thankfulness can’t be sustained if you believe that God is not for you and with you. The heart of our faith is the assured knowledge that we are loved, embraced, and included in God’s world regardless of our circumstances. Those who do not believe that God is their good and gracious Father will continue to experience striving, insecurity, and fear. They will waste their lives trying to earn His favor. His blessings are not for sale but are freely given because of all God has done for us in Christ. A sacrifice of praise is never about praising our way into His favor. But there’s power in our acknowledgment that He is worthy above all else of our praise and thanksgiving.
Many Blessings, BW