Hebrews 16:15
"By (through) him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
Sacrifice: to surrender or give up some thing for the sake of something else; atonement, relinquish, offering, yield, surrender.
From Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:
2378 thysÃa – properly, an offering (sacrifice); an official sacrifice prescribed by God; hence an offering the Lord accepts because offered on His terms.
If what we are offering to God is not acceptable to God then God will not receive it. The offerings we bring to God must be according to God's Word in order for God to receive it into Himself.
When Elijah challenged the prophets of Ba-al to build an altar to prove who the real God is, the fire of God fell on Elijah's altar which he had built according to God's instructions. Fire did not fall on the godless prophets' altar because there was no adequate sacrifice on their part. Fire does not fall on empty altars.
We need to make sure our sacrifice is acceptable to God before we bring it to Him that He might receive it unto Himself. Our hearts need to be right with Him: Christ Jesus needs to be living there; the Holy Spirit needs to be there, guiding us through God's Word, bringing it to life, breathing it into our spirits and inscribing it onto our hearts.
When we bring to the altar that which God asks of us, then He will accept not only our sacrifice, but our praise, as well.
Psalm 141:2
"May my prayer (intercession [prayers for others], supplication [petition humble prayer], hymn [song of praise to God's name and glory]) be set before You like incense [burning sacrifice, sweet aroma, fumigation], my uplifted hands (beacon, raising up, present, utterance) like the evening offering (donation, tribute, sacrificial offering)."
"By (through) him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
Sacrifice: to surrender or give up some thing for the sake of something else; atonement, relinquish, offering, yield, surrender.
From Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:
2378 thysÃa – properly, an offering (sacrifice); an official sacrifice prescribed by God; hence an offering the Lord accepts because offered on His terms.
If what we are offering to God is not acceptable to God then God will not receive it. The offerings we bring to God must be according to God's Word in order for God to receive it into Himself.
When Elijah challenged the prophets of Ba-al to build an altar to prove who the real God is, the fire of God fell on Elijah's altar which he had built according to God's instructions. Fire did not fall on the godless prophets' altar because there was no adequate sacrifice on their part. Fire does not fall on empty altars.
We need to make sure our sacrifice is acceptable to God before we bring it to Him that He might receive it unto Himself. Our hearts need to be right with Him: Christ Jesus needs to be living there; the Holy Spirit needs to be there, guiding us through God's Word, bringing it to life, breathing it into our spirits and inscribing it onto our hearts.
When we bring to the altar that which God asks of us, then He will accept not only our sacrifice, but our praise, as well.
Psalm 141:2
"May my prayer (intercession [prayers for others], supplication [petition humble prayer], hymn [song of praise to God's name and glory]) be set before You like incense [burning sacrifice, sweet aroma, fumigation], my uplifted hands (beacon, raising up, present, utterance) like the evening offering (donation, tribute, sacrificial offering)."
And, yes, it will be difficult at times to be obedient and faithful.
But nowhere does it say that walking this walk
and talking this talk will be easy.
But it will be worth it.
