Sacrifice of Praise to GOD – Hebrews 13

"1 Keep on LOVING each other as brothers and sisters. ² Don’t forget to SHOW hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! ³ Remember those in prison, as IF you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as IF you felt their pain in your own bodies.
⁴ Give honor to marriage, and REMAIN FAITHFUL to one another in marriage. GOD will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

⁵ Don’t love money; BE SATISFIED with what you have. For GOD has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” ⁶ So we can say with confidence, “THE Lord is my HELPER,
so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

⁷ Remember your leaders who taught you THE Word of GOD….  Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. ⁸ JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, and FOREVER. ⁹ So DO NOT be attracted by STRANGE, new ideas. YOUR STRENGTH COMES FROM GOD’S GRACE, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them. …

¹⁵ Therefore, let us OFFER through Jesus a continual sacrifice of PRAISE TO GOD, PROCLAIMING OUR ALLEGIANCE TO HIS NAME.

¹⁶ And don’t forget to DO GOOD and TO SHARE with those in need. THESE ARE THE SACRIFICES THAT PLEASE GOD.”

 

When is talked about praising the Lord, immediately we tend to think a big choir, or a huge sea of people in a conference worshiping. But here we see a few other things we can do to praise the Lord and it does not even involve singing a worship song. Loving a dear brother or sister who is a “hard to love” person, is a sacrifice of praise.  Sharing your food with a stranger that might be hungry, or thirsty, could be a sacrifice, but to the Lord it’s a love offering of praise.

The reminder about the person in prison, and those that are being mistreated is leading us to place ourselves in that person’s shoes because when you do, as if you would be the one feeling the pain in your own body, and you act the way you would like others to help or treat you, that would make the sacrifice of praise to be easier. 

The same when you remain faithful in your marriage, you’re giving a sacrifice of praise to God, and just in case you still have a doubt of what being faithful really is, here we have it more plainly for Paul is telling us that if you aren’t faithful to your spouse and your marriage which is commit adultery that’s an immoral thing and the person who does it is subject to an assured judgment.  

Another subject that has to do with a sacrifice of praise has to do with green, yes, with money! When we choose to obey God by giving HIM the tithing or a ten percent of our income, we ARE worshiping HIM. Paul warns us about to be satisfied with what we have for we have God’s assurance that HE that helped us to get the income that we have is sufficient to give us more as we might need it.  I’m not trying to say that you have to shut down your professional aspirations, absolutely NOT!  What I mean is that once you are in the assigned place GOD had given you, allow not to be looking for flaws, faults, and excuses to jump somewhere else for HE had placed you there, and HE will tell you when is time to move and where. Be confident because WHEN THE LORD is the pilot of your ship, HE knows what HE’s doing and it will be all for your good! So do not fear, and still praise HIM while sacrificially waiting until HE moves you again.

Another way we give praise God comes as we remember those leaders who’ve taught us God’s ways; they have sacrifice innumerable hours and days praying and preparing to teach us. Because God doesn’t change HIS teaching is still the same, therefore we have to be aware that if new ideas come to get our attention but they aren’t exactly to what the Word of God teaches,  not to get caught up with it. Our strength doesn’t come from other teachings but from God’s grace therefore, serve HIM! And HIM alone! For when we do, not only we are offering sacrificial praises unto HIM but we are openly telling the world our allegiance to HIM.