“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” Psalms 50:14-15 NIV

A blooming mountain laurel, “Thank You, Lord, for the beauty of your creation!

In Leviticus, in the Old Testament, God gave directions through Moses to His people. God set feasts and sacrifices that were required (remember Passover and Pentecost). But there were other sacrifices that were free-will or peace offerings. These were to be offered spontaneously as someone felt the desire to thank God, fulfill a vow, or just offer praise.

Jesus came to replace the Old Testament covenant. He became the ultimate sacrifice for each of us. But we can still offer our “sacrifice” of thanks to the Lord. The term sacrifice implies that we give up something. What do we give up when we offer thanks to the Lord? When we present our thanks to the Lord, we relinquish our time and our focus, we accept that our blessings and our deliverance come from Him and are not of ourselves. We are in the presence of God and thank and honor Him.

Lord, we offer our thanks for the…

Forgiveness that wipes our slate clean and freedom to live as Your beloved chosen ones.

Saving grace for those whom we pray and sharing our grief when loved ones are called home.

Companionship when we feel so alone and comfort as You share our worldly burdens.

Power of Your strength in our weakness and peace when we are anxious and worried.

Friends who love and encourage us and friends who speak truth and correction over us.

Protection, refuge, calling, and presence, we thank and praise You, our Almighty God!

This week, take time to offer the sacrifice of thanks. Focus on and praise the Lord for all He has done for you. Give Him your time and know that in all things, He is with you and works to your good. (If you have kids, or read the “For the Kids” post, see if you can do the ABC challenge with them!)

I thank God for each of you! And I thank you for joining me this week as we offer the sacrifice of thanks to our Lord.

Blessings and thankfulness!