Verse of the Day
"So through Jesus we should never stop offering our sacrifice to God. That sacrifice is our praise, coming from lips that speak his name."
Hebrews 13:15 ERV
Lesson of the Day
Hebrews 13:15 suggests that we offer our sacrifice to God. We heard of Jesus Christ sacrificing His life, and God sacrificing His son, but when were we told that we had to make a sacrifice? Well, we learned that Jesus Christ said, "take up your cross and follow me" is this the sacrifice that Hebrews is referring to? No, I think not. It's referring to our praise. Praise is speaking highly of someone and making that person's accolades known. Why would God need us to speak highly of Him? Well, He doesn't need it, but He appreciates it and most likely He expects it. Think of it this way, if you gave someone your all, provided for them, protected them, comforted them, gave up your life for them, and made sure that they had abundant lives, you would hope that they appreciated it and would probably expect them to acknowledge you. Well, don't you think God has feelings. He made us in His likeness, so we should have some things like Him, right. After all He's done for us, no one should have to convince us to give God praise.
I love praising God. It's my most favorite thing to do. We can praise God in different ways. We can sing songs about how good He is. There are so many out there. Psalms is loaded with praise songs. Just add a melody to the words. We can also praise God with our words. Lift your hands in the air, look up towards the sky and just speak of His goodness. You can also just say hallelujah. Hallelujah is the highest praise. When we share God's goodness with others, we are giving God the praise. In fact, as I share with you each day, I'm giving God the praise.
Encouragement
If you've never praised God before or even if you have but you felt uncomfortable doing it, let me give you some tips. Practice praising God at home. Go somewhere quiet where you can be alone with God and just yell out praises to Him. Practice everyday and then when you go to church close your eyes and praise Him exactly like you did at home. Don't look around nor worry about what people will think of you. In this way you will feel like you are alone and you can give God sincere praise.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, You deserve all our praise. You give us the air we breathe and the vocal cords to sing. You created us, Heaven, and Earth. You gave us life and we owe You the highest praise. Hallelujah to You Lord. Hallelujah to You Father and Hallelujah to You Holy Spirit. No one deserves praise more than You. Thank You for all that you've done for us. Forgive us for any transgressions we may have committed and lead us to Your truth. Help us to become children that You can be proud of. In Jesus Christ's name I pray, amen.