Praise Is a Sacrifice

I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord. —Psalm 116:17

When it comes to praising the Lord, it’s important to note that praise involves “sacrifice.” Under the old covenantal system, the Jews had the option to bring a grain offering to the temple as a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God. The sacrificial system ended with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Yet we can still choose to honor God by giving Him a different sort of sacrifice—the praise of our lips.

The dictionary defines sacrifice as “the surrender of something desirable for the sake of something of a higher or more pressing claim.” It’s called a sacrifice because it involves giving something up. It costs. What would you need to sacrifice in order to praise God more? A little bit of sleep? Some TV-watching time? Listening to the radio while you drive to work? Praise is a sacrifice because it costs us time and effort.