sacrifices

A large part of Hebrews, much of the first 10 chapters, is a detailed explanation of how the old law of the sacrifice is past. Those old, ineffective sacrifices, meant merely as a temporary stopgap, were ended with the sacrifice of God himself on the cross.

But there are still sacrifices for Christians of our time to make. Two, to be specific.

Hebrews 13:15-16 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

God expects our sacrifices of praise. He expects that with our words we will be bold to proclaim how good he has been to us. He also expects us to be good people who do good things and are generous with our blessings. Those are the sacrifices of the Jesus-follower of today.

How do I square that with the times I choose to keep silent rather than have people know of my faith? That happens sometimes, when I’m in a business setting and world views are being discussed. 

How do I square it with the times my lips have professed things that shame his name? The times I’ve spoken hatefully of earnest people who disagree with me were, in a way, professing negative things about God – I’ve openly identified myself with him, so it would be reasonable for people who hear me to assume that I’m reflecting God’s values.

How do I square these requirements with the times I’ve opted to stay home rather than join a service project, or kept money I could have given to a cause?

There are many, many times that I’ve brought these sacrifices. I profess God’s name and praise him daily, in these blogs. I think on the whole I’m quick to help and quick to give. But do I sacrifice in proportion to God’s goodness and what I owe him?

That’s a goal, to bring even more worthy sacrifices than I have.