Read it: Psalms 100:1-5, Psalm 149:1-3 Hebrews 13:15
Live it:
Consider the word “sacrifice.” What are the first things you think of? For me, I thought of… painfully giving, living with less, releasing what I have so others can have more.
Now consider the text in Hebrews 13:15: Offer a sacrifice of praise. It almost sounds like an oxymoron, but the power comes when you see that it is not.
Praise is not only to be offered in the good times, the exciting times, the celebrations in our lives. The scripture tells us to sacrifice praise. Surrender what you are feeling for a higher goal. It is a discipline, not a feeling!
When you wake up in the morning, regardless of how you feel, bring the sacrifice of praise! Celebrate our all-powerful, all-knowing God! When you go to bed at night, regardless of how you feel, bring the sacrifice of praise! Celebrate the ways that He showed up for you that day, the ways that you felt known and loved, the ways that He comforted you, Celebrate! And if it’s difficult – read through one of the Psalms in our text today, aloud, with feeling.
When the praise goes up, the power comes down! Bring the sacrifice of praise today and every day. Celebrate in the peaks and in the valleys. Celebration is a discipline well worth practicing!
Ps. Jenni