It sounds strange - "a sacrifice of praise" - but it says so much about prayer and God.
The phrase comes from Hebrews 13:15 where the writer says:
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name."
The ancient Hebrews used to bring animal and other gifts to the temple which the priests offered to God to honour him and to atone for the sins of the people.
Why would the writer of Hebrews talk about praise being a worthy sacrifice to God?
He is certainly not talking about praise atoning for our sins - the only sacrifice that cleanses us from sin is Jesus' death on the cross.
But praise is our gift to God. It honours him and gives him glory.
When we are in heaven, we will be so enchanted by God - so in love with him - that we will pour forth our praises to him continually.
The writer of Hebrews is saying we should start right now. We should praise him constantly in our everyday lives.
Of course, a sacrifice costs us something.
For the Jews in Old Testament days, the cost was monetary. They had to bring the best of their animals and crops to the temple as a gift.
For us, praise costs us time and turns our focus away from ourselves to God.
By nature, I want to think about myself and my own needs and my own pleasures. I want to use up all my time for myself.
But I am lost without God. As the apostle Paul said, everything is garbage compared to knowing Jesus.
There is a yearning in me for God. As I praise him, I enter his throne room and have communion with him.
There are many stories of the power of praising God - power to change us and power to heal. People have testified of being healed while worshiping God.
Why is that? I think that, as we praise him, God has freedom to work within us. We have lowered our barriers to God.
So, praise is our gift - our sacrifice - to God.
But his gift to us is far greater - himself.
The phrase comes from Hebrews 13:15 where the writer says:
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name."
The ancient Hebrews used to bring animal and other gifts to the temple which the priests offered to God to honour him and to atone for the sins of the people.
Why would the writer of Hebrews talk about praise being a worthy sacrifice to God?
He is certainly not talking about praise atoning for our sins - the only sacrifice that cleanses us from sin is Jesus' death on the cross.
But praise is our gift to God. It honours him and gives him glory.
When we are in heaven, we will be so enchanted by God - so in love with him - that we will pour forth our praises to him continually.
The writer of Hebrews is saying we should start right now. We should praise him constantly in our everyday lives.
Of course, a sacrifice costs us something.
For the Jews in Old Testament days, the cost was monetary. They had to bring the best of their animals and crops to the temple as a gift.
For us, praise costs us time and turns our focus away from ourselves to God.
By nature, I want to think about myself and my own needs and my own pleasures. I want to use up all my time for myself.
But I am lost without God. As the apostle Paul said, everything is garbage compared to knowing Jesus.
There is a yearning in me for God. As I praise him, I enter his throne room and have communion with him.
There are many stories of the power of praising God - power to change us and power to heal. People have testified of being healed while worshiping God.
Why is that? I think that, as we praise him, God has freedom to work within us. We have lowered our barriers to God.
So, praise is our gift - our sacrifice - to God.
But his gift to us is far greater - himself.
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