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Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
Andrea Lende • April 29, 2020
Psalm 50:14-15
Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
Daily Word:
Psalm 50:14-15
“Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High,”
“And call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.”
I often think about thanksgiving as a time for rejoicing.
Usually we are thankful when things are going our way and not just going our way but going better than normal.
We are thankful when someone is kind to us, gives a gift to us, does something nice for us, and the list goes on.
We are thankful when we get a raise or are approved for a loan to buy a car or a house.
There are so many things that can put us in a state of thankfulness.
But this verse says, “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” which when we evaluate this statement means that we are to put on a state of thanksgiving.
We may not have received anything or gotten that raise.
In fact, things may even be exceptionally difficult.
But the Lord calls us to make a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
Give Him glory and praise.
And as we do that, He says to call upon Him and He will deliver us.
The verses today remind me that I am owed nothing.
Nothing good has to happen for me to take on praising God.
I don’t have to be in a good place in my life to praise God.
He deserves all glory and praise no matter what is happening in my life.
He is Author and Creator of this universe.
He deserves my praise just because He Is.
Today I choose to put on the sacrifice of thanksgiving and give God the glory and praise that He so rightly deserves.
May you find that as you praise the Lord and offer Him thanksgiving that He will, indeed, deliver you from all harm and trouble.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for all You do and all You Are. Thank You for creating the universe, the heavens, the earth, and all that is in all of it. Thank You for having me in mind as You created this earth. Thank You for caring for me so perfectly that You placed me here at the perfect time and in the perfect place. Thank You for having a plan and a design for my life. Help me walk into Your plan, Lord. Help me praise You, always, Lord. Keep me in Your Word learning about You and Your Son. Teach me all that I need to know. I pray for Wisdom, Lord. I pray that You will put wisdom into my heart and soul – as much as You will give me – so that I can be perfectly led by You. Forgive my shortcomings and sins, Lord. Keep me from temptation and from evil. Help me not hurt anyone. Help me bless someone today. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM watching over you and will deliver you from all harm.
Response: Thank You, most gracious God.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.