Do you give thanks to God as a sacrifice?
Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the highest: Psalm 50:14
Jonah gave a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God while he was in the belly of the fish. Here God intervened in his desperate situation. In verse 10, “And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.” The reconciliation begins on God’s side. No place is amiss for prayer. I will that men pray everywhere. Wherever God casts us, we may find a way open to heaven-ward, if it is not our own fault. The heavens are equally accessible from every part of the earth. He has Christ dwelling in his heart by faith; wherever he goes carries the altar along with him, sanctifies the gift, and is himself a living temple. Jonah was here in confinement; the belly of the fish was his prison, was a close and dark dungeon to him; yet there he had freedom of access to God, and walked at liberty in communion with him. Men may shut us out from communion with one another, but not from communion with God. Jonah was now in the bottom of the sea, yet out of the depths, he cries to God, as Paul and Silas prayed in prison, in the stocks.
Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Sacrifice is used symbolically to represent an offering to God. Our lives should be as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.
Roman 12:1 says I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Out of gratitude to God for his mercy and salvation, we should be completely devoted to loving him, living by his standards, and serving God’s purposes for our lives. We must realize that true godly worship involves a lifestyle that brings honor to Christ in words and actions.
When we follow God, our voice, our worship, our Thanksgiving, our bodies become a living sacrifice unto God. We are offering all of our being to God. We are giving up our old ways to honor God. Offering our thankfulness or gratitude to God is a sacrifice to God.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for all you do for us. I pray that with everything within us will be a sacrifice honoring to you.
In Jesus Name
