God at Work: Sacrifice and Promise
“I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. I will keep my promises to the LORD in the presence of all his people.” (Psalm 116:17-18 NLT)
What a strange phrase: “a sacrifice of thanksgiving.” In the ancient world, this was a technical term for a specific kind of sacrifice. But perhaps all true acts of thanksgiving are also acts of sacrifice.
Partially, we sacrifice our pride in offering thanksgiving. The Masai tribe in Africa shows their thanks by bowing and putting their foreheads on the ground, saying “My head is in the dirt.” Members of another African tribe will sit outside the hut of the person who favored them for a long time, saying “I sit on the ground before you.” Both actions are symbols of public humility and gratitude.
When we say thanks, we are admitting, “I couldn’t have done this on my own. What I have comes from you, and I thank you for that.” Don’t underestimate how difficult this can be, especially in America, land of the self-made man.
We also sacrifice our time and wealth in offering sincere thanksgiving. This is an intentional act. We must aside some time to offer gratitude. We often show our appreciation with a gift of some sort. This month we celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving – consider the extreme generosity of time and food that go into preparing this holiday feast!
The same extravagant generosity we show at Thanksgiving needs to permeate our daily relationship with God. This is an act of humility: “God, you gave it all to me and now I’m giving something back to you.” And it is also an act of sacrifice: “God, accept the gift of my time, talents, and resources.”
Are you giving generously enough that it is a sacrifice? Have faith, keep your promises to God, and trust God to use you and your gifts in ways you cannot even imagine!