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Jonah 2:9
But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will
sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make
good. Salvation comes from the LORD."
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November
14 Thanksgiving in Sacrifice
Sacrifice is one of the best ways to show
thanksgiving. Sacrifice first and foremost
is a reminder of what we have to be thankful for
the most, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
All of the Old Testament sacrifices pointed to
Jesus' sacrifice in one way or another. But
another way that sacrifice is thanksgiving is
that we acknowledge that God is the source of
what we're giving up. When we are willing
to make a sacrifice we acknowledge with thanks
that God gave it to us in the first place.
There is a lot of debate over whether a ten
percent tithe is a requirement in the New
Testament church. This debate misses an
obvious point however. Anyone who gives
ten percent out of duty and compulsion does not
do so with thanksgiving. The person who
offers their sacrifice without reservation and
does so joyfully is the one who is truly
thankful. Sacrifice is meant to be, well, a
sacrifice. It is not extra that is given
away. It is giving up something that we
could otherwise make use of. But when we
do so out of thanksgiving, we acknowledge that
God is the source of our sacrifice and He is
more than capable of providing all that we need
in the future. |
