Hebrews 13:15-16 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Luke 6:27-31 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Our lives as Christians should be sacrifices of praise. We should speak and act for God's glory. The act of love praises God. Loving our enemies is a sacrifice of praise to God. When we do not strike back, when we give away our substance, when we go the extra mile with someone who misuses us, and when everything within us desires to please our Lord, we praise God. God is pleased by a sacrifice of praise. From the beginning God programed us to do good; anything less leads to unhappiness. However, the devil's intervention in the garden brought evil into God's peaceful creation. The awareness of evil resulted in the fleshly will: the desire to do our will and not God's, to trust ourselves and not him. Since then, mankind has struggled with destiny and the ability to survive. Death came into his existence, and survival required hard labor. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. (Genesis 3:19) Without turning to him and accepting HIS WILL and HIS LIFE, we are but dust.
When our hearts long to follow our own will and we seek worldly recognition and things that are not eternal, we follow the dictates and the nature of the deceiver, the devil who wants to destroy us. However, when we desire to please God by loving others, we are gentle, kind, and long-suffering, revealing God's nature. As we sacrifice for others, even our enemies, the love of God shows through our lives. God sent the bright and morning star, Christ Jesus, to die for us when we were yet his enemies. He loved us so much that He forgives us seventy times seventy or indefinitely, so we can love others as He loves us. According to his perfect will, God gave us his perfect only begotten Son. In him we are perfect, for He completely pleased the Father and obeyed him in all things. Now, because of this perfection, we continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise. We give him glory in and through our lives by walking in love and obedience to him.
In Jesus, we will want to follow God and do good. We will help others, pray for those in need, and give to people who require our help. The Bible says our lives are not our own: we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This simple concept demands everything, all that we are, all that we have, and all we will ever be. Living for Jesus demands sacrifice and a different way of thinking. As we orient ourselves towards others, our Christ-like attitude and behavior literally turns our world upside down. The carnal person looks at his own situation before considering others. God asks us to look at the circumstances of others over our own best interests. As we yield every aspect of our lives, we become concerned for the homeless and the living conditions of the poor; we want health care of others as much as we want it for ourselves. I sometimes fear for the American church, for we have seemingly forgotten that a sacrifice of praise comes our lips and our deeds. When we sink into ourselves and our own self-centered agendas, repentance is needed, so the living church might shine and share the "good news." If our thoughts and actions become self-oriented, we will not give the sacrifice of praise that God desires from our lives. Turn to God today in total surrender to his will, and He will use you for his glory.
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