Thursday, November 21, 2013

A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

eDevotion
Encouragement for Your Daily Walk with God

What do you think God wants more of from us? 

More singing [hymns or contemporary]?
More prayer?
More witnessing?
More church attendance?

All of these things are well and good. It behooves a Christ follower to do them. [Did I just use the word behooves - yikes!]

Allow me to put something at the top of your list - THANKSGIVING! First and foremost He wants a thankful heart. In Old Testament times, thankfulness  was required, and was built into the sacrificial system in the form of the Peace Offering. 

NOTE: “There are three kinds of peace-offering: (1) the thank-offering; 2) the votive-offering; and (3) the free-will offering. The thank-offering is a response to acts of divine beneficence; the votive and the free-will sacrifices are connected with the expectation of benefit; but the significance of the thank-offering is wider than that of the other two.” [Quote from the Jewish Encyclopedia]

A sacrifice is something that takes effort; it costs us. Have you ever asked yourself why the Scriptures stress thanksgiving so much? It’s because thanksgiving comes as a result of having received something. Thanksgiving is the proper expression of a Christ follower who daily - and constantly -  receives the “good and perfect gift[s]” from God. [James 1:17]

Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High. Psalm 50:14

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