True Sacrifice
Psalm 50:14-15 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” (NIV)
Psalm 50 allows the reader to draw close to the heart of God. The topic of this psalm is true faith and true worship and what God requires of man for both. A true believer, seeker, and worshiper of the true God must exhibit certain qualities of righteous character that are necessary for obedience:
- The first is a reverence and respect for God. The Psalmist makes it clear that God will be our judge (Psalm 50:6). He alone is the final arbiter of what we have thought, said, and done while sojourning in this fleshly body. Also God has no need for anything material that we might give him (Psalm 50:9-12). We need God and we are dependent upon him for life itself, and without this proper understanding that God is the creator and we are the creation, man is unable to advance in true faith and worship.
- The second is a humility (poor in spirit) that results in a sacrifice of continuous praise and thanksgiving to God for his goodness and love in our lives. God wants our hearts, not our things, unless they are related to a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving (Psalm 50:14). You will only truly praise God if you sense your own helplessness and deep need for God’s saving intervention in your life.
- The third is God must be our first choice for help and present relief in this world. Why should this be so? Because God can demonstrate his power by delivering us from difficult times and we in response can honor him with thanksgiving and praise as others see what God has done through us. The Psalmist says in Psalm 50:23 that thanksgiving and praise honors God and makes a way for him to show us his salvation.
The wicked man disrespects God by not obeying his word and treating God’s guidance and provision for his life casually (Psalm 50:17). The righteous character of anyone of us begins with a reverence and respect for God, leading to a spirit of humility and simple trust in God that erupts in spontaneous praise and thanksgiving, and completes itself with calling on the name of the Lord in our day of trouble.
IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE I WILL CALL ON YOU, HOLY FATHER, AND WHEN YOU DELIVER ME I WILL HONOR YOU WITH A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING. AMEN!
True Sacrifice with Mike White @ Summit church of Christ
Reference to God, ‘Honor Thy Father,” humility in all things, and putting Our Lord first in our lives. I believe these concepts with my heart and soul.
It is really hard to trust that God will always take care of things. That is definitely something I need to work on. Thanks for sharing.
Dawn
http://www.cheapisthenewclassy.com
No offence to anyone, but I have always been on the fence about the bible and religion BUT I will tell you this… I agree with lots of its lessons and messages. I believe in respect and paying forward, generosity, without asking back. Give to the needy and karma will do its thing… And I’m sorry but I learned the Bible in French so it is hard for me to express the exerpts correctly!
Live your life and attempt not to hurt another living creature–accept others as you want themto accept you.