November 5, 2024

Hebrews 13:15 ~ A Sacrifice of Praise

December 29, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

{This final week of 2015 we will be re-visiting some of my personal favorite themes on which our wonderful writers have shared with us throughout this past year.  I hope that you (as I was, too!) will be encouraged and reminded of God’s faithfulness and loving care through their inspired words.}

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times
offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,
which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge
and confess and glorify His name.
Hebrews 13:15

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Oh, what encouragement I have received this week as I’ve read daily through the Seeking Him devotional!  (You, too?)  Ann, Ahmee, Clella, Cynda, and Tina have each written devotionals reminding me of the importance of offering my praise—a sacrifice of praise—to our wonderful Father God and drawing me closer to the One Who I do seek to praise and glorify!

In The Fruit Of Lips, Cynda took a good in-depth look at just what a ‘sacrifice of praise’ is and asked a really good question…along with a few answers she found.

“But why are we compelled (Hebrews 13:15) to do it ‘constantly and at all times’?  Here are just a few of the reasons I found:

  • it glorifies God and pleases Him
  • (because of) His enduring love and goodness
  • because Jesus did
  • it is our shared inheritance

But, I think my favorite reason for giving thanks is to tell others and remind myself of all He has done in my life.“

❦

Then, Ann gave us some great reasons in Praise At All Times just WHY we praise God—

  • for what He has done (Psalm 9:11)
  • a four-fold reason— because we are “…a chosen people, a loyal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God….” (1 Peter 2:9)
  • and, as a commandment (Psalm 63:7)

She wrote, “So we are all to praise God; let us make a choice of doing so in the morning …in the afternoon …and in the evening time!”

❦

Clella shared a wonderful translation of Hebrews 13:15 with us in Proclaim Allegiance To His Name.  She wrote,

“The New Living Translation says it this way:

Therefore, let us offer through Jesus
a continual sacrifice of praise to God,
proclaiming our allegiance to His Name.

The phase ‘proclaiming our allegiance to His Name’ popped out at me.  It sounded so different than the other translations that refer to ‘the fruit of lips that confess His Name.’  I just had to do a little research to understand what this verse is really saying.

– to “confess” God’s Name is to declare, state, acknowledge His Name
– to “proclaim allegiance” is to announce publicly, or to declare something one considers important with due emphasis, which in this case would be one’s loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior.”

❦

In Verbal Sacrifice, Ahmee brought us back to the central element in Hebrews 13:15 of ‘sacrifice.’  She reminded us of reasons we have to offer our sacrifice of praise.

“Those days when you don’t feel like giving praise are the days when praise is a sacrifice. When we praise God even in our less-than-favorable moments we are saying to Him — and those around us —

  • God is our God
  • we trust Him with our lives
  • we trust in Someone bigger than us
  • we have the Almighty on our side to fight for us”

❦

And in Giving Thanks, Tina encouraged us to remember how abundantly blessed we are here in the USA.

“The Pilgrims were so grateful to have a land to call their own and the freedom to worship God. After such a hard crossing and a hard harvest, they decided to celebrate and praise God for what they had. Let us do the same. Continuous praise should be on our lips and in our thoughts.

❦

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

I Never Lost My Praise

October 8, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I lost some good friends along life’s way
Some loved ones departed in heaven to stay but
Thank God I didn’t lose everything
I’ve lost faith in people who said they care
The time of my crisis they were never there
But in my disappointment, in my season of pain
One thing never wavered, one thing never changed

I never lost my hope, I never lost my joy
I never lost my faith but, most of all, I never lost my praise

I’ve let some blessings slip away, and I lost my focus
And went astray, but thank God I didn’t lose everything
I’ve lost possessions that were so dear
And I’ve lost some battles by walking in fear
But in the midst of my struggle, in my season of pain
One thing never wavered, one thing never changed

I never lost my hope, I never lost my joy
I never lost my faith but, most of all, I never lost my praise
Praise, praise, praise, praise…most of all, I never lost my praise

My praise, still here, my praise still here
Hallelujah! My praise is still here

Charlotte Central Church of God Choir
Songwriter – Kurt Carr

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Oh, can you picture Job singing this song?  He lost loved ones and lost possessions.  He  lost faith in people who said they care and in his time of crisis they were never there.   But one thing never wavered…one thing never changed—he never lost his hope…he never lost his faith…he never lost his praise.

There aren’t too many records throughout the Scriptures which depict someone more deeply grieved and in mourning than the story of Job.  Here is how God described Job:

…a blameless and upright man, fears God and turns away from evil.
Job 1:8

Right off in chapter one, we read of the horrific loss that Job experienced. He was a man blessed by his God with “seven sons and three daughters; 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very great body of servants.” The Scriptures tell us that “this man was the greatest of all the men of the East.” But, as we know, Satan purposed to take all that Job had in order to tempt him  to turn away from and curse his God (verse 11).  In one day, within a very short period of time, Job learned that all his flocks, practically every one of his servants, and each of his children has been taken from him.  However, Satan’s purpose was foiled because, “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God” (verse 22).  Job kept his heart of worship and praise; his response to all this?

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head.
Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Job 1:20-22

He never lost his praise.

As the woman who sings this song shared with us, in her time of sadness and loss, God taught her about the ‘sacrifice of praise.’   (Go back, if you would, and listen to her heart starting at :18 to 1:19.)

She never lost her praise.

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God
a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips
that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
Hebrews 13:15

Probably each of us has offered a ‘sacrifice of praise’ at least once or twice in our lives…yes?  However, I am confronted by the higher standard that Hebrews 13:15 states: “let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise….”  Other versions of this verse use the terms, ‘continually’ and ‘always.’  That doesn’t leave much room for wiggling out of obedience, now does it?

We are to constantly {always, continually, at all times} give to God our praise as a sacrifice—whether our circumstances are happy and joy-filled or not.  Even in those times where it looks like there is nothing left, we are to acknowledge all He has done, is doing, and will do to take care of us.

And when we struggle to maintain our joy and peace we can still praise God for Who He is…

  • He never changes (Malachi 3:6)
  • He never leaves us nor forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:8)
  • He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3
  • He is faithful to all of His promises (Deuteronomy 7:9)

We should always praise Him for those things…and much, much, much more!  I believe that then we, too, will sing…

I never lost my praise.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Sacrifice Of Praise

November 29, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

 

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times
offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,
which is the fruit of lips
that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
Hebrews 13:15 AMP

Lord, I lift a song of worship
For Your glory and Your grace
Let my heart reveal all my words fail to say
Lord, receive this sacrifice of praise

On the mountain in the valley
As I wait in my secret place
I will trust trust in the name of the Lord
Now receive this sacrifice of praise
Now receive this sacrifice of praise

You’re my shield, You’re my shelter
From the storm and from the rain
Cover me beneath the shadow of Your wings
Lord, receive this sacrifice of praise

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah to Your name
For all You’ve done
You are and evermore will be
Lord, receive this sacrifice of praise

 

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

This Week…Hebrews 13:15

November 28, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times
offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,
which is the fruit of lips
that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
Hebrews 13:15

Oh, what encouragement I have received this week as I’ve read daily through the Seeking Him devotional!  (You, too?)  Ann, Ahmee, Clella, Cynda, and Tina have each written devotionals reminding me of the importance of offering my praise—a sacrifice of praise—to our wonderful Father God and drawing me closer to the One Who I do seek to praise and glorify!

In The Fruit Of Lips, Cynda took a good in-depth look at just what a ‘sacrifice of praise’ is and also asked a really good question…along with a few answers she found.

“But why are we compelled (Hebrews 13:15) to do it ‘constantly and at all times’?  Here are just a few of the reasons I found:

  • it glorifies God and pleases Him
  • (because of) His enduring love and goodness
  • because Jesus did
  • it is our shared inheritance

But, I think my favorite reason for giving thanks is to tell others and remind myself of all He has done in my life.“

~   ♥   ~

Then, Ann gave us some great reasons in Praise At All Times just WHY we praise God—

  • for what He has done (Psalm 9:11)
  • a four-fold reason— because we are “…a chosen people, a loyal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God….” (1 Peter 2:9)
  • and, as a commandment (Psalm 63:7)

She wrote, “So we are all to praise God; let us make a choice of doing so in the morning …in the afternoon …and in the evening time!”

~   ♥   ~

Clella shared a wonderful translation of Hebrews 13:15 with us in Proclaim Allegiance To His Name.  She wrote,

“The New Living Translation says it this way:

Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God,
proclaiming our allegiance to His Name.

The phase ‘proclaiming our allegiance to His Name’ popped out at me.  It sounded so different than the other translations that refer to ‘the fruit of lips that confess His Name.’  I just had to do a little research to understand what this verse is really saying.

– to “confess” God’s Name is to declare, state, acknowledge His Name
– to “proclaim allegiance” is to announce publicly, or to declare something one considers important with due emphasis, which in this case would be one’s loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior.”

~   ♥   ~

In Verbal Sacrifice, Ahmee brought us back to the central element in Hebrews 13:15 of ‘sacrifice.’  She reminded us of reasons we have to offer our sacrifice of praise.

“Those days when you don’t feel like giving praise are the days when praise is a sacrifice. When we praise God even in our less-than-favorable moments we are saying to Him — and those around us —

  • God is our God
  • we trust Him with our lives
  • we trust in Someone bigger than us
  • we have the Almighty on our side to fight for us”

~   ♥   ~

And in Giving Thanks Tina encouraged us to remember how abundantly blessed we are here in the USA.

“The Pilgrims were so grateful to have a land to call their own and the freedom to worship God. After such a hard crossing and a hard harvest, they decided to celebrate and praise God for what they had. Let us do the same. Continuous praise should be on our lips and in our thoughts.

~   ♥   ~

So after being encouraged and admonished this week reading these devotionals each day, I am determined to be thankful to God not only on Thanksgiving Day but the next day…each day. We are to be thankful, joyful people today, tomorrow, and every day! Truly living in this manner—

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times
offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,
which is the fruit of lips
that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
Hebrews 13:15

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Giving Thanks

November 27, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

By Him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually,
that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.
Hebrew 13:15

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

We are so blessed in America!  We have an abundance of food, entertainment, music, and yet…we seem to be so unhappy.  There is so much that God has given us as a nation to share and help others.  This Thanksgiving, let us remember those who are less fortunate.  Let us find ways, in the near future, to serve others and receive a great blessing, more than we could ever know.

Jesus is our great Intercessor.  We are to bring everything to Him in prayer and supplication.  If we ask what is godly and right in the name of Jesus—our Father will be able to grant our request.  As we begin our day let us remember to give thanks to God for all that we have, since it is not ours.  Everything we have has been granted to us.

The Pilgrims were so grateful to have a land to call their own and the freedom to worship God.  After such a hard crossing and a hard harvest, they decided to celebrate and praise God for what they had.  Let us do the same.  Continuous praise should be on our lips and in our thoughts.  Begin each new day with thanksgiving and praise and see what a difference it will make in your life and those around you.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Father, we come before You with much thanks and praise. You have given us everything we have. Forgive us when we are ungrateful.  Help us remember You are the Giver of everything. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Verbal Sacrifice

November 26, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.
Hebrews 13:15 ESV

How often do we refer to the praises coming from our mouths as sacrifices? Praising the Lord’s name and giving Him praise is like a walk in the park—under the right circumstances.

What about when customers at work are being difficult, your co-workers aren’t any better, and your bosses seem to have drawn your number? What about when a friend stands you up? What about when things just won’t go right and everyone seems to be against you?   Or things couldn’t possibly get any worse?  What about those days that are just off?

This reminds me of when I was little and did something wrong.  Even though I was wrong, I didn’t want to say sorry.  I just didn’t want to…even though it was right thing to do.  It literally physically pained me to utter the words.

Those days when you don’t feel like giving praise are the days when praise is a sacrifice.  When we praise God even in our less-than-favorable moments we are saying to Him…and those around us —

  • God is our God
  • we trust Him with our lives
  • we trust in Someone bigger than us
  • we have the Almighty on our side to fight for us

Exodus 14:14 is one of my favorite verses. It says,

The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.

Praising God takes our eyes off our circumstances and places them on Him.  If our eyes are on God—regardless of the situation—how could we not feel like praising Him?

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Thank You, Lord for being a trustworthy God.  Thank You for taking care of me, even when the odds seem against me.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proclaim Allegiance to His Name

November 25, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Through Him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually,
that is, the fruit of lips which confess His name.
Hebrews 13:15

The New Living Translation says it this way:

Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God,
proclaiming our allegiance to His Name.

The phase “proclaiming our allegiance to His Name” popped out at me. It sounded so different than the other translations that refer to “the fruit of lips that confess His Name.” I just had to do a little research to understand what this verse is really saying.

  • To “confess” God’s Name is to declare, state, acknowledge His Name
  • To “proclaim allegiance” is to announce publicly, or to declare something one considers important with due emphasis, which in this case would be one’s loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior

What sacrifice do I/we offer to God for the sacrifice He made for us by giving His Only Son, Jesus?

What sacrifice do I/we offer to Jesus for Him sacrificing His very lifeblood to cleanse us of our sins?

I thought about missionaries on a foreign field who have sacrificed their house, their car, their homeland, and perhaps even their safety, to proclaim their allegiance to God and to share the Good News of Jesus’ sacrifice. Truly in God’s eyes, that is a continual sacrifice of praise to Him.

I also thought about the pastor of a little struggling country church. He has confessed, proclaimed allegiance to God by faithfully serving for years with little or no salary, so that others would hear of Jesus’ sacrifice for them. Yes, that, too, is a continual sacrifice of praise to God. 1 Peter 2:5 (AMP) says,

[Come] and, like living stones, be yourselves built [into] a spiritual house,
for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices
[that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.

God is calling each of us through Jesus Christ to sacrifice ourselves, to be dedicated and consecrated, to the position (priesthood) of pleasing God with our proclamation of allegiance. We don’t have to be a missionary or a country pastor to please God. What pleases God is our private and our public continual sacrifice of praise and declaration of Him and His salvation through Jesus Christ.

Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord.
Say to Him,
Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us,
so that we may offer You our praises.
Hosea 14:2

Our sacrifices are to be in the manner of adoration, worship, prayer, thanksgiving, allegiance, confession, and dedication. God is great and greatly to be praised. Our genuine praise will have no end.

Great is the LORD!
He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure His greatness.
Psalm 145:3

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Lord God, we come to You today with our sacrifices of praise on our lips.  You are worthy beyond words to receive all of our praise, and not just those of thanksgiving but also those of public confession and allegiance.  Holy Spirit, please help us to be strong and brave as we express publicly our thankfulness and our allegiance to God.  May our sacrifice of praise show others the way to You through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  In Jesus’ Name we ask these things, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Praise At All Times

November 24, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Through Jesus, therefore
let us continually offer to God
a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess His name.
Hebrews 13:15

A believer who is in fellowship with God has to be full of praise…for that’s the calling we have.  Believers who cannot praise and worship the Lord are not true disciples of Jesus.  When you are in good fellowship with Christ, you are always mesmerized with the Lord’s deeds and naturally a spirit of praising comes from your heart and your mouth lets it out.

Why do we praise God?

For what He has done:   In everything we have to praise the Lord and the Lord is always pleased with our praises.

Sing praises to the Lord enthroned in Zion,
proclaim among the nations what He has done.
Psalm 9:11

The Lord does a lot in our lives—His protection, providing, shepherding, etc.  We need to thank God for all of those!  Whether we face adversity—or even challenges that make us wonder whether God is seeing us—we have to praise God for we are commanded to praise the Lord at all times.

Fourfold Reason:

But you are a chosen people, a loyal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him
Who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

And we need to celebrate this fact that He took us out of darkness, what a wonderful God that He is so mindful of man. He is indeed good and compassionate. We have to praise God for all this.

As a commandment:   Perpetually we are to praise the Lord and universally do so (as Psalm 63:7 stipulates),

May the peoples praise You, O God, may all peoples praise You.

Let them give glory to the Lord and proclaim His praise in the islands.
Isaiah 42:12

So we are all to praise God; let us make a choice of doing so in the morning…in the afternoon…and in the evening time!  As children at Sunday School we used to sing this song (many times, repeatedly, we would sing this).

Praise Him
Praise Him
Praise Him in the morning
Praise Him in the noon time
Praise Him
Praise Him
Praise Him when the sun goes down
Halleluia!!!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Lord, we thank You for who You are, what You have done and what You are yet to do in our lives.  We praise You for this unfailing love and the good deeds we testify about day in and out.  May Your name be praised at all times.  Help us, Lord, to praise You more and more as this pleases You the most.  Let the praises come from deep within our heart.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Fruit of Lips

November 23, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times
offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,
which is the fruit of lips
that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
Hebrews 13:15 AMP

I am like a child.  I am constantly asking questions— “What does that mean?” “Why do I need to do that?”  Especially when it comes to Scripture.  It wasn’t any different as I read this passage.  To find answers to my questions, I searched the Scriptures.

‘The fruit of lips’…well, what does that mean? In this verse alone it tells us that the fruit of our lips is

  • praise
  • a thankful acknowledgment
  • a sacrifice to God

Although animal sacrifices are no longer required, we are repeatedly urged to offer another kind of sacrifice.

Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving.…
Psalm 50:14 AMP

Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and announce His works with shouts of joy.
Psalm 107:22 HCSB

To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 116:17 NASB

Ok, so the fruit of our lips is 1) praise, 2) a sacrifice, 3) a way of giving thanks to the Lord.  But why are we compelled (Hebrews 13:15) to do it ‘constantly and at all times’?  Here are just a few of the reasons I found.

It glorifies God and pleases Him

He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honors and glorifies Me;
Psalm 50:23 AMP

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.
This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
Psalms 69:30-31 HCSB

(Because of) His enduring love and goodness

Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them.
Psalm 107:21 NLT

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1

Because Jesus did

At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth…”.
Matthew 11:25, Luke 10:21-22 HCSB

Our shared inheritance

Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share
the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light.
Colossians 1:12 AMP

But, I think my favorite reason for giving thanks is to tell others and remind myself of all He has done in my life.

O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known His doings among the peoples!
1 Chronicles 16:8 AMP

O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name,
make known His doings among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on
and talk of all His marvelous deeds and devoutly praise them.
Psalms 105:1-2 AMP

Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness!
Psalm 150:2

Praise causes me to focus on the times I have seen God’s hand at work.  It keeps the memories fresh in my mind so I can reflect on His blessings in times of struggle.  It reminds me how thankful I am to be a child of The King of Kings.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Oh Lord, Oh Lord!  How majestic is Your name in all the earth.  I am blessed beyond measure by Your faithful love and graciousness.  May I constantly and at all times offer a sacrifice of praise to You, for You are more than worthy.  In Your Holy name I pray, Amen – it is so!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

I Never Lost My Praise

September 25, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I lost some good friends along life’s way
Some loved ones departed in heaven to stay but
Thank God I didn’t lose everything
I’ve lost faith in people who said they care,
The time of my crisis they were never there
But in my disappointment in my season of pain
One thing never wavered, one thing never changed

I never lost my hope, I never lost my joy,
I never lost my faith but, most of all, I never lost my praise

I’ve let some blessings slip away, and I lost my focus
And went astray, but thank God I didn’t lose everything
I’ve lost possessions that were so dear
And I lost some battles by walking in fear
But in the midst of my struggle, in my season of pain
One thing never wavered, one thing never changed

I never lost my hope, I never lost my joy,
I never lost my faith but, most of all, I never lost my praise
Praise, praise, praise, praise…most of all, I never lost my praise

My praise, still here, my praise still here

Hallelujah! My praise is still here

Songwriter – Kurt Carr/ Performed by the Charlotte Central Church of God Choir

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Oh, can you picture Job singing this song?  He lost loved ones and possessions.  He  lost faith in people who said they care and in his time of crisis they were never there.   But one thing never wavered…one thing never changed—he never lost his hope…he never lost his faith…he never lost his praise.

There aren’t too many records throughout the Scriptures which depict someone more deeply grieved and in mourning than the story of Job “…a blameless and upright man, fears God and turns away from evil.”  Right off in chapter one, we read of the horrific loss that Job experienced.   Job was a man blessed by his God with “seven sons and three daughters; 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very great body of servants.” The Scriptures tell us that “this man was the greatest of all the men of the East.” But, as we know, Satan purposed to take all that Job had in order to tempt him (verse 11) to turn away from and curse his God.  In one day, within a very short period of time, Job learns that all his flocks, practically every one of his servants, and each of his children has been taken from him.  However, Satan’s purpose was foiled because, “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God” (verse 22).  Job kept his heart of worship and praise; his response to all this?

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head.
Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Job 1:20-22

He never lost his praise.

As the woman who sings this song shared with us, in her time of sadness and loss, God taught her about the ‘sacrifice of praise.’   (Listen to her heart starting at :18 to 1:19.)

She never lost her praise.

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God
a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips
that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
Hebrews 13:15

Probably each of us has offered a ‘sacrifice of praise’ at least once or twice in our lives…yes?  However, I am confronted by the higher standard that Hebrews 13:15 states: “let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise….”  Other versions of this verse use the terms, ‘continually…always.’  That doesn’t leave much room for wiggling out of obedience, now does it?

We are to constantly {always, continually, at all times} give to God our praise as a sacrifice—whether our circumstances are happy and joy-filled or not.  Even in those times where it looks like there is nothing left, we are to acknowledge all He has done, is doing, and will do to take care of us.  And when we struggle to maintain our joy and peace we can still praise God for Who He is…He never changes (Malachi 3:6).  He never leaves us nor forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:8).  He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)…which nothing can separate us from (Romans 8:38-39).  We should always praise Him for those things…and much, much, much more!  I believe that then we, too, will sing…

I never lost my praise.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
Next Page »