A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and perform your vows to the Most High,"

"The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!" Psalm 50: 14 & 23

Okay, so God is still showing me some things about thanksgiving this week. (I love the way He so patiently teaches me!) I read this passage yesterday morning in my quiet time and, of course, the verses on thanksgiving stood out to me.

In this passage God is telling His people that He doesn't want the animal sacrifices that the people were giving because they weren't giving them with the right attitude. There was no thanksgiving in it, just ritual. They were sacrificing because they had to, not because they wanted to.

As I thought about what an offering of thanksgiving looked like, I realized that it was all about attitude and more conviction from my husband's sermon came back to me. I can do all the right things, at the right time and seem like I am doing them the right way. I may even fool the "right" people, but not be at all right before God.

As a minister's wife, sometimes I feel like I do not have a choice or voice in my duties. I do them because I have to, because I am expected to, not because I really want to. My heart just isn't in it and there is no thanksgiving in my sacrifice.

So, what is a sacrifice of thanksgiving? This is what I believe the Lord showed me:

A sacrifice costs us something. We must give up something for something else. For me, this holiday season I am giving up the need to be right, the longing to be heard, and the selfish want to just duck out of some responsibilities altogether. I am laying down these weary, selfish, sinful desires in order to choose to be thankful.

Don't get me wrong. This is not going to be easy; but then is it really a sacrifice if it comes easy? Plus I know that the Holy Spirit will help me. I just have to ask. So as I "perform my vows to the Most High" and "order my way rightly," I will do so as a sacrifice of thanksgiving and know that He will "show (me) the salvation of God!"

Happy Thanksgiving!