{Jeremiah 33}
“…and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord…”
I rest back into my chair and mull over this phrase.
We call a lot of things sacrifice. Giving a miserly amount for missions. Setting down a good book to go help our parents with a project. Speaking to someone who’s feeling lonely when we would rather be conversing with friends. Spending a day helping at the homeless shelter. Adhering to healthy lifestyle principles just because we know it’s good for us. Putting aside our selfish nature for the benefit of others.
We call this sacrifice. And I rebel.
Because if Christ truly has our hearts, the above is not sacrifice; it’s joy. Pure joy.
When the wellspring of Christ’s joy is in our hearts, to give is to gain; to obey is our pleasure; to share is our song.
It’s an all-consuming pursuit of happiness of the eternal variety.
And praise? For the Israelites it was embodied in a physical offering, yet there is also the verbal aspect.
We often pride ourselves, thinking we declare our praise and adoration quite often.
We praise God when we call on Him and He shows us great and mighty things. We praise God for healing. We praise God for the big things in our lives. And to us, it seems no sacrifice. The blessings are so obvious.
But what about the things we take for granted? Or perhaps the things that don’t appear to be blessings?
Little things.
But what about the things we take for granted? Or perhaps the things that don’t appear to be blessings?
Little things.
Like a minute of sun piercing through the clouds. Like a plethora of Bibles sitting on our shelf. Like instructive criticism from a caring mother. Like golden tamarack trees dotting the hillsides. Like a toothbrush. Like giving to sustain and educate a girl across the world. Like the gift of learning. Even like trials and temptations, suffering and pain, heartache and tears.
Yes, all these are worthy of our gratitude and praise. Through the eyes of the Infinite we can view even the thorniest valley as a gift from the Giver. And we mustn’t forget to pour out our hearts in thanks to the Giver Himself…
This couldn't be more true. Everything in my life that I have called a sacrifice was actually a blessing I never would have traded.
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