Sacrifice or Privildge?

     Many months ago I wrote on the sacrifice of praise and since then I have continued to ponder the true meaning of sacrifice for God. If everything I have is from the Lord, how can I sacrifice something that wasn’t mine to begin with? While I was in Peru, I saw they were void of the day-to-day stuff that we call blessings. I questioned why I deserve anything when most of the world has nothing.  So, I asked myself; how can I sacrifice something that I don’t deserve to have to begin with? In addition, how can I sacrifice anything of value to the God who owns it all?  The definition for sacrifice is, ‘the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim’. There are lots of things that I have prized or desired: having a husband whom I didn’t have to share with others, being able to attend my uncles funeral, having my daughter closer for the last two years, etc. However, Jesus' call and directions for our family is a higher and more pressing claim than anything my heart could desire.         
     Now we know what sacrifice is but scripture speaks of us giving a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. When I give up something that is important to me because Jesus is more important, that is my sacrifice to Him.  When I do it not as an obligation or an act of manipulation, but with a heart of thankfulness to Him for what He does for me and with a heart of praise, then my act becomes a sacrifice of praise. As always, God wants our grateful hearts not just our sacrifice.
     Here are some examples of a sacrifice of praise: joyously giving financially to God to thank Him for all He gives to us; giving Him our time in private and corporate praise to Him showing the priority He has in our life; to give up time with those we love in order for them to serve Him and to appreciate the honor of seeing them in His will; to fix a relationship with someone because glorifying Him is more important than our rights or hurt feelings; to give Him the praise for our accomplishments because showing Him off to the world is better than showing our self off; serving others in the most inconvenient time with a loving heart because we know that when we serve others, we are serving God and everything in our lives belong to Him (including our schedules or wants, etc.).
     What is important to you: money, time, relationships? Is Jesus more important than these things? What do you sacrifice for God?  What kind of heart do you offer for your sacrifice? Brittne shared a statement Sunday made by Jerry Rankin who said, “Why do we consider anything a sacrifice when Jesus saw it a privilege to die on the cross for us."  Is your sacrifice a privilege to give?

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

Hebrews 13:15