and call on the name of the Lord.” (ESV)
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. And today, as I begin the long, but enjoyable hours of preparation in our kitchen for the family meal tomorrow, I am not only focused on the recipes and the aromas of this season, but on the sweet aromas of God and His wonderful blessings to us. There are so many. Not everything in life feels good or is good, but God is always good. He is always faithful, always gracious, always merciful, always loving, and always just. We have so much to be thankful for, even in the painful times I believe. But, it is sometimes easier said, than done, to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise to Him.
Psalm 116:17 tells us to offer a “sacrifice of thanksgiving”. What does this look like? What does it mean? How do we do that even on the days that are not so easy? While reflecting on this, it really made me wonder if I am really offering my thanksgiving to Him in with an attitude of sacrifice. I looked up the definition of the word sacrifice and found this: “sacrifice—According to Mosaic Law, an offering to God in repentance for sin or as an expression of thanksgiving; Christ as the ultimate sacrifice for sin.” Am I doing this? Is the aroma of my praise pleasant to Him?
This week, every time I went to my face book page, I noticed that one of my friends had been writing one thing that she is thankful for every day. This made me smile and caused me to reflect on what I am thankful for. If I really took the time to make a list, it would take me quite a long time to write it. Again, I’m not saying that everything is good or even praiseworthy, but, our God is and I want to focus on that as much as I am humanly able to do. He deserves our praise whether we “feel” like it or not.
At times, my flesh, or my humanness really wants to focus on my hurt feelings, or my physical pain, or the things that are going on around me in this world that bother me. But, my spirit desires to trust God, because He has indeed proven Himself faithful in my life and beyond worthy of my sacrifice of praise. If I look back and begin to count all of the ways He has blessed me, protected me, saved me and loved me, again, it would be a LONG list! So, today, I want to sacrifice some of my time, my heart, my resources, my words, my money, all of these things, in order to offer a pleasing aroma to my loving and generous Father. How about you? What will your sacrifice of praise be to Him today…and every day? God bless and thanks for reading! May it encourage you deeply. J
Pratt, R. L., Jr. (2000). Vol. 7: I & II Corinthians. Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (447). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
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