DRAWING NEAR
July 10
The Sacrifice of Praise
"Offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).
Praise consists of reciting God's attributes and mighty works.
"Praise the Lord" is a common expression today. Some see it as a
catchy slogan, others commercialize it, still others reduce it to
nothing more than "P.T.L." But despite such attempts to trivialize
it, praising the Lord remains the believer's expression of love and
gratitude to a God who has been abundantly gracious to him. That was
the cry of David's heart when he said, "I will bless the Lord at all
times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall
make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice. O
magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Ps.
34:1-3). That will be the song of believers for time and eternity!
God desires and deserves your praise. That's why Hebrews 13:15 says,
"Through [Christ] . . . let us continually offer up a sacrifice of
praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His
name." But what is praise? Is it merely saying "praise the Lord" over
and over again, or is there more to it?
Two aspects of praise are obvious in Scripture. First is reciting
God's attributes. That was the typical means of praise in the Old
Testament. For example, Psalm 104 says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul! O
Lord my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with splendor and
majesty, covering Thyself with light as with a cloak" (vv. 1-2).
The second aspect of praise is reciting God's works. Psalm 107:21-22
says, "Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, and
for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them also offer sacrifices of
thanksgiving, and tell of His works with joyful singing."
Praise involves reciting God's attributes from a heart of love,
giving Him honor and reverence for who He is. It also involves
reciting what He has done on behalf of His people. Your praise should
follow the same pattern so it will be an acceptable spiritual
sacrifice to your loving God.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Read Psalm 103 as a prayer of praise to God.
For Further Study:
Scripture mentions other spiritual sacrifices that believers should
offer. Read Romans 15:16, Ephesians 5:2, Philippians 4:10-18, Hebrews
13:16, and Revelation 8:3, noting what those sacrifices are.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~.
Psalm 103
103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless
His holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with
lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is
renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD executes righteousness And justice for all who are
oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of
Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in
mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger
forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us
according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His
mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our
transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who
fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so
he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place
remembers it no more.
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On
those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children,
18 To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His
commandments to do them.
19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom
rules over all.
20 Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His
word, Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do
His pleasure.
22 Bless the LORD, all His works, In all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Romans 15:16
16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles,
ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles
might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:2
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself
for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling
aroma.
Philippians 4:10-18
10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for
me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked
opportunity.
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in
whatever state I am, to be content:
12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and
in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both
to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.
15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the
gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me
concerning giving and receiving but you only.
16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my
necessities.
17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to
your account.
18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from
Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an
acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.
Hebrews 13:15
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise
to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
Hebrews 13:16
16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such
sacrifices God is well pleased.
Revelation 8:3
3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the
altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the
prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the
throne.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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