GIVE IT UP FOR GOD

A devotion by husband Steve Long - Visit his blog at Reflecting the Light

Americans were not the first people to celebrate Thanksgiving. The people of ancient Israel were given a peace offering called the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Unlike most sacrifices, there was no slaying of an animal – just the offering of bread (with oil) to God. This would be used as food for the priests of the tabernacle and later the temple.

In what way does this offering apply to us today? Look at this:

And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will. (Leviticus 22.29)

I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD. (Psalms 116.17)

First, we can see that the sacrifice of Thanksgiving should be done freely, not coerced. God made us free people who can choose to do right or wrong. None of us has to be thankful. It’s a decision we must make.

We can also see that thanks and praise to God are sacrifices. There is something to give up when we verbally thank God. Not so much in church and not necessarily in our homes, but out in the world where we meet people of whom we do not know whether they’re believers in Christ or not. If God shows you something to be thankful for, don’t hesitate to pronounce his praise.

By the way, what’s the difference in thanks and praise? The definitions are very close, but here’s the difference: We can praise God in public settings as well as thank him, but you cannot thank God without praying. When we praise God, we may be telling others. When we thank God, it is necessary that we tell him. We should never say, “I thank God” unless we really do personally thank him. I wouldn't tell my kids how much I thank their mother for all she's done for me. Instead, I just tell her – "thank you." If you're thankful to God, tell him.

What do we have to give up when we offer this sacrifice of thanksgiving?

We give up what’s pent up inside. It is impossible to go through one day, even the worst of days without realizing that we have blessings coming to us from God continually. If we don’t release our thanks, it will build up inside us. BOOM! If we’re truly thankful, it will sometimes explode from within us.

We give up our pride – pride about what people may think or how they will respond. What if they’re hostile to your expression of gratitude? What if they’re nonplussed? Oh well, they’ll be the ones missing the blessing, not you. Give up your pride and give God thanks.

We give up the glory. Someday, all his redeemed will, when we say, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 7.12) Why not do it now? Our God truly deserves all the praise and thanks that we can give him.

So, give it up for God!