Hebrews 13:15 (New International Version)
15Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.
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I have been singing a praise chorus in my head all day... the one that says, "We bring the sacrifice of praise, into the house of the Lord..."
You may ask why I have been pondering that song today. The words SACRIFICE OF PRAISE never really made sense to me. Why is it a sacrifice to praise our Heavenly Father? It is so easy to praise Him.. he has done so many mighty and wonderful things for me and for the people around me.
But each Sunday morning it is shown me what a Sacrifice of Praise really is. And for the mother of a large family, with many little ones, it is a Sacrifice to praise. It is a Sacrifice to just get to church in the morning. It is a sacrifice to try to get everyone in decent clothing (forget it being ironed), socks that match (or not), and shoes. (Most of the time. Let's not dwell on the time one of my children got to church without shoes. There was a reasonable explanation. Ahem.)
It is a sacrifice just to be there as I am distracted by my many little people. It is a sacrifice to stand holding one of them for the entire service because I don't want them to learn that the church service is a time to play. It is a sacrifice to be there on the days Eric is working and cannot be there to help.
And it is OK. God knows I have not heard an entire sermon in years. It is OK. God understands that my sacrifice is just in getting to His house in the morning. He knows that my sacrifice these days constitutes wiping noses and cleaning sticky fingers.
Someday I will spend hours in prayer. Hours studying the Word. For now I dry tears. I train in righteousness. I try to lead my little ones to Christ.
And that is my Sacrifice of Praise. That is my laying down my life to follow Him.
And He understands.
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Amen!
ReplyDeleteOne of the best encouragements I ever got as a young mother was about this. When I miss church, caring for a sick child, God sees it and is pleased. When I don't hear everything because I am training up a child, He is pleased.
Great post!
(I'll never forget the time one of ours arrived without shoes... and one with no panties under her dress.)
Thanks so much for your post....what a great reminder. I am right there with you. It's hard with only 3 and my husband playing in the worship band, but with God grace it seems to be getting easier each week. May we enjoy our roles God has given us!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this encouragement! And what a reminder to press on and get to church every week even with the complications of getting a family out the door. This is exactly what I needed today.
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