Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:15-16, NIV
I don’t know about you, but I tend to equate “sacrifice” with “pain”…and with good reason! The Jews in the Old Testament were required to give animal sacrifices, and this means suffering and death, of course, for the animal. In the New Testament, Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, suffering and dying on the cross.
In a more mundane context, when we talk about sacrifice in daily life, we usually mean giving up something that we don’t want to give up in the spirit of the greater good. (For example, we may speak of reducing our personal spending as a “sacrifice” that we make in order to budget better or save up money for something important, or “sacrificing” lesson time on a topic in order to fit in all the curriculum by year’s end).
But reading this verse recently opened my eyes to a new perspective. Sacrifice is often about suffering, pain, and self-denial. But it is also something else: in a Biblical context, sacrifice is something that should bring us joy! God has set up the whole system of sacrifice as one that honors Him and brings joy to both Him and to us! This blows my mind a little bit—what an amazingly generous God!
Jesus endured horrific suffering on the cross… “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). He did it willingly because, although the physical pain was indescribable, the outcome of providing salvation to the whole world for all time and the joy that would bring to Him and to us is also indescribable!
In Hebrews 13, it says that God is pleased with our “sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips”…I don’t know about you, but when I praise the Lord openly with my lips and my whole heart, that fills me with joy, not with pain! He also names “doing good and sharing with others” as a pleasing sacrifice: again, these things bless me when I do them; I don’t feel like I’m losing anything at all!
So, there are times when we do and should give things up or deny ourselves and our flesh as an act of sacrifice and submission to God. But know and remember that God is also well pleased by our praise of Him and doing good works in His name, being vessels of the Holy Spirit to His people.
You can sacrifice to the Lord as an act of worship all day long, no matter where you are! And you can do it with a smile on your face, which is a testimony in itself.
Thank You, God, for the wonderful and many-faceted ways that You have set up this world! God, Your kindness, Your goodness, and Your love for us know no bounds. You truly are a gracious God: You deserve ALL of the glory, praise, and sacrifice of our lives…and You love us so much that You set it up in such a way that doing those things does not take away from us, but rather fills us with joy and builds us up as we draw nearer to You. You are amazing, God. Please remind me today that everything I do can be an act of worship unto You. In Jesus’ holy name, Amen.
Copyright Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi.
Rhapsody is a Christian Educators member and high school English teacher from North Carolina. She is passionate about helping overwhelmed teachers reclaim their time and peace of mind through support, encouragement, and intentional strategies. You can connect with her at tightropeteaching.com.
