Hebrews 13:15
By him therefore let us offer
the sacrifice of praise to God continually,
that is, the fruit of our lips
giving thanks to his name.
By him therefore let us offer
the sacrifice of praise to God continually,
that is, the fruit of our lips
giving thanks to his name.
This phrase stood out to me, "sacrifice of praise." Praising God is a New Testament sacrifice. Does that not give so much more purpose and meaning to singing hymns of praise?
I love music and I love to sing. In some ways I have wondered if I should feel any kind of guilt for the attention I receive for really putting my all into the singing service at Church. It does stroke my ego to hear compliments and that can lead to a pride problem. So I had this moral dilemma on my hands. Should I hold back so that I don't draw attention?
This verse set me free. I am bringing a sacrifice to God with my singing. It is for the Lord and I am going to offer him by best. I sing whole heartedly with gusto and joy!
Ecclesiastes 9:10a
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,
do it with thy might;
Have you ever wanted to offer something really special to the Lord? Look no further! If you have a voice, you can offer the Lord a sacrifice; the sacrifice of praise.
The part of the verse that says, "the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." makes me think of the many instances that the firstfruits were offered to the Lord in the Old Testament.
Exodus 23:19a
The first of the firstfruits of thy land
thou shalt bring into the house of
the LORD thy God.
Proverbs 3:9
Honour the LORD with thy substance,
and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Giving thanks is the fruit of our lips. Let us offer to God the firstfruits. In the morning why not let the first thing I say be praise to the Lord? I can wake up with a song on my lips.
I just want to encourage you all to praise the Lord. We know He is worthy!
Not only is He our Creator and Sustainor, He is our Saviour! He is God Almighty holding the Universe in His hand and yet He cares for us and loved us enough to die in our place!
I have a home in Heaven and that right there should keep me singing as the days go by. Amen!
