continual praise

“Therefore, through Him let us continuously offer up to God

a sacrifice of praise, that is,

the fruit of lips that confess His name.”

– Hebrews 13:15

 

It is a Sunday morning once again that is a gift from God.  Although it once again will not be a Sunday when we normally share fellowship in worship with one another, it is most definitely a day to worship God through the praise of our lips, lifting up the name of Jesus Christ our Lord in exaltation and thanksgiving.

When reading the aforementioned verse we get the encouragement to perpetually be praising God through the sacrifice of praise.  We should think of sacrifice in the terms of what we give up, in this case, something freely offered to demonstrate our gratitude and thanks for who Jesus is and what He has done.  The last phrase is important in understanding the praise that we offer to God.  “…that confess His name” speaks to the praise that is continuously on our lips.  Speaking Jesus name in our conversation brings glory to God, to speak the Gospel of Jesus exalts the name of Jesus in our lives and before God, to thank Jesus openly for all good things and even the trial and challenges acknowledges the Lordship of Jesus in our lives.  It is not only the idea of phrases of praise in a worship service or in prayer, the sacrifice of praise that we offer up to God is the continuous testimony of Jesus in our lives.  To do this continuously calls for us to keep Jesus at the center of our lives, when we do this then our lips will be filled with praise.  Verse 16 encourages us in how we can keep this focus.

“Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share,

for God is pleased with such sacrifices.”

Our lives are encouraged to be lived by being like our God, doing what is good and sharing the good that He has given to us.  That encourages us to confess the name of Jesus because He is the reason for doing good and sharing.  It all boils down to your relationship with Jesus and how much He truly is at the controls of your life.  When He is, on a consistent basis, it seems that the continuous praise, “…the fruit of lips that confess His name” is continuously on our lips.

I pray that your Sunday is filled with praise, confessing the name of Jesus!  The following refrain is on my lips this morning:

“Bless the Lord O my soul

O my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I’ll worship Your Holy name.”

– Matt Redman


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