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
A Sacrifice of Praise
On the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landing in Normandy, France, Philippe Zeller, France’s ambassador to Canada at the time, expressed his deep appreciation to the young Canadian soldiers who sacrificed so much for his country. He said “On June 6, 1944, 15,000 Canadian soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division landed on Juno Beach. For France, their arrival meant the end of night. A night that had lasted 1,500 days. The long night of Nazi occupation. There, on the beaches of Normandy, hope would be reborn.”
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We all understand what it means to make a sacrifice. Some sacrifice their time to help others, some sacrifice their finances to fund a ministry they feel is effective, and some give the ultimate sacrifice by laying down their lives for others. There is no greater example of this than Jesus, who lay down his life in order to bear the punishment we deserve for our sin. Once we have received, by faith, the gift of eternal life, purchased by Jesus on the Cross, we are called to sacrifice as well, in a number of ways. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” You might be asking “how is praise a sacrifice?” In order to offer praise to God, we humble ourselves before him and recognize His power and authority. We sacrifice first place in our lives, recognizing that He alone deserves all the honour. Hebrews calls us to continually offer this sacrifice of praise. Too often we want to take back control of our lives – offering continual praise keeps God first in our lives.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley