Confessing Praise......

   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 13:15 NKJV)

 

     Human praise is often well intended false praise. If my friend sings a solo that is actually painful to listen to but immediately asks me how he did, I will undoubtedly praise him. Sometimes I want to praise someone to encourage them but find myself looking hard for something praiseworthy. If I find nothing, I select the best thing I can find and praise that. I think it was Joan Rivers who said -- Anything a man says to a woman about her shoes, weight, dress, hair, eyes, face, ears, shoes, height, shoes, weight, or shoes is probably a lie. Sorry ladies, I really don’t care about your shoes as much as some of you do.

 

…let us continually offer… In the original Greek, this is better translated as continually confess.... This offering requires praise mindedness. If the weight of the Lord’s salvation alone has settled in my heart, how can my praise ever end? Since I recognized the truth of the Gospel, I have lived a life observed through a God-lens provided by the indwelling Spirit and focused by the Word. All provision I see as from Him. All favor from Him. Luck and happenstances are things of my past. My Father is watching over me, attending to my needs, pruning dead limbs and pouring mercy and grace over my life. In the days of the tabernacle and temple, praise was offered at certain times and in certain places. The old is gone, behold the new has come. My continuous praise exists because of His continuous Presence in my life.

 

….a sacrifice… When I research a Greek word it typically has multiple meanings that are dependent on context or other associated words. Here the Greek word means only sacrifice. It is used 29 times in the New Testament and it is translated as sacrifice all 29 times. What do I sacrifice when I praise God? I sacrifice my flesh, my ambition, my pride, and my desire to be worshipped. Praising God in truth sets not only Him in proper perspective, but myself also. When I pour out an offering of words to describe the greatness of my Lord, my prideful somethingness fades to humble nothingness.

 

…. of praise to God… In praising a person or any created thing I can easily outreach the truth, but it is not so with God. With the Lord if I simply state the truth of what He is and has done, I can never exaggerate and I can never finish. That is authentic, the fruit of our lips, worshipping in spirit and truth, God praise. My praise cannot be mechanical, a fleshy offering of my good praise works. It has to be an offering poured from my grateful heart, giving thanks to His Name….

 

 Copyright 2013 Mission of the Master Ministries, Inc. May be quoted in wole or in part without prior permission if a link is provided to http://wordworkswednesday.blogspot.com