The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:17

As I read this verse this morning, I asked myself, ‘what exactly is the sacrifice of thanksgiving?’ Why is it called a 'sacrifice'? Sometimes when we really want to understand the meaning of a word, it is useful to look at the etymology. ‘Sacrifice’ comes from the Latin sacer (sacred, holy) and facio (do, make). The word seems to have taken on the meaning in English of costing something and while that is true, perhaps the original meaning has more significance in terms of presenting an offering to God. Our sacrifice of thanksgiving is to be holy, sacred, from a pure heart. Old Testament sacrifices were offered with fire. Perhaps I can extend the imagery to the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is the One who makes our sacrifices holy.

The rest of Psalm 116 gives expression to the reason for this sacrifice of thanksgiving. The Psalmist recalls answered prayer (v 1-2), deliverance (v 3-4), preservation (v 6), restoration (v 7-8), and is thankful that he is God’s servant (v 16). Surely this is true of all Christians. I can reflect on numerous occasions of deliverance and preservation in the face of danger and evil. Perhaps verse 8 could be my life anthem: You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears and my feet from falling.

Simple reflection leads to a spirit of thanksgiving which is to be directed to the Self-Existing One, the Eternal One, Jehovah God. Let us offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving today. Thankful people are happy people.

Comments

The Mystery that is Macedonia

When I first came to Macedonia on a visit in 2001, I found this little country so intriguing and breathtakingly beautiful that I happily accepted the invitation to return for a longer period. That ‘longer period’ has now extended itself to several years during which I have had many enriching, memorable experiences. I thought it might be interesting to jot down a few observations about the difference in culture. I appeal to my Macedonian readers not to misunderstand my intentions. What I have observed are customs and habits which are as normal to you as breathing and sleeping, but to someone from an entirely different culture, they are both interesting and noteworthy. It is always thrilling for me to explore how various nations function and it is nothing short of a privilege to experience a foreign culture first-hand. Hospitality Macedonians are a friendly, hospitable people. I do not know how many times they have almost literally killed me with kindness. Indeed, I have often...

Quiet Time

I must admit, I love the morning. The peace, the silence, the coffee... And most importantly, the presence of God! The Psalmist loved the morning. We can catch his sense of joy as he lifted up his heart to praise Yahweh, the Keeper of his soul. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound. For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. Psalm 92:1-4 Even though I grew up in a Christian family, I did not realize the importance of having a ‘quiet time’ with God each morning until I was 18. This materialized through a challenging teaching on the subject one Saturday evening. Then began an incredible journey of discovering truth for myself. The Bible is the LIVING WORD OF GOD! How exciting to hold it in our hands and learn throu...

Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?

The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:14 ESV) In the past few days, I have read several articles that question the claims of Easter — ‘There is no evidence of the resurrection,’ the proponents write, ‘it is a fabrication, the Biblical text is not reliable…’ On the contrary, the existing evidence presents a solid argument. The apostle Paul asserts that the litmus test of Christianity is the resurrection. The more I read and analyze the evidence, the more I become convinced intellectually in addition to knowing the living Christ by faith. Testimony of Women The Gospel writers record that the first witnesses of the empty tomb were women: Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. (Luke 24:10 ESV) In the first century, a woman’s testimony did not count; if the story had been fabricated, Luke and the o...

Musings

Search This Blog