Faith Matters | In times of great loss, we still have the ‘sacrifice of praise’
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. - Hebrews 13:15
“The Sacrifice of Praise,” is the title of today’s article. If you only remember one thing from what you read, I hope it is that.
One of my favorite Biblical teachers and authors once said, “When we finally go to Heaven, we lose a privilege we have here while still on the Earth. That is, we will no longer give sacrifices of praise to God.”
You see, in Heaven we will enter into the greatest part of our existence, a perfect reality, a reality that is flawless in every way, and has no end. Yes we will worship and praise Him! But it will not be a sacrifice of praise.
While you and I still occupy this planet, we will face trials and tribulations, loss of loved ones and disappointments. It is in those moments, when all alone, when no person can bring an answer, comfort or console, I turn my eyes towards Heaven, to the One Who sits on the throne, and lift up a song of praise. In the midst of situations that are very far from being good, I sing of the Goodness of God! In the middle of the not knowing, “the why,” I declare my trust in The Father. As Joshua set up remembrance stones, I thank Him for what He has done. Also, the good things He is doing, and with faith fired up on the altar of my life, I praise Him for the good things He will do again!
Her name was Helen Lemmel, a beautiful young woman, who loved the Lord. She contracted a disease in 1922 that caused her to go blind. Her husband left her not long after she became ill. Now blind, and broken hearted, she looked to her Savior and wrote,“Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” It was her anthem of a sacrifice of praise. She went on to write 500 hymns!
The word praise in the above passage means to give a thank offering. I never thank God for something bad, however, I will thank Him for His goodness in something bad. A sacrifice of praise in seasons of hardship, will lift you above the darkness of despair, exchanging His beauty for your ashes.
As we celebrate this week the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and thank Him for His sacrifice on the cross. I am reminded of one of my favorite passages also found in Hebrews.
We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! - Hebrews 12:2
What was many hours of unimaginable pain, Jesus endured the greatest sacrifice of all time. His fuel to endure it, was powered by His love for you, as you, were His, sacrifice of praise.
Beyond anything else I could ever share with you, I offer you Jesus. Regardless of who you are, or what you’ve done, God is good, and He loves you. He sent His Son who paid the ultimate price for you. He died on a cross for your sins, but death could not hold Him. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you too can have a new and eternal life. Ask Him into your heart. Ask Him to heal you, to teach you His ways and to use you to help others.
Welcome to the Kingdom, welcome to the Family of God!
Faith Matters is written by members of the Bradenton clerical community. Don Sturiano is the senior leader of Kingdom Life Christian Church, 3700 26th St W. Bradenton, 34205 He is also the chaplain for the Bradenton Police Department. For more information and to watch online please visit www.kingdomlifechristianchurch.org.