“Continually Offer To God A Sacrifice Of Praise!”

“Continually Offer To God A Sacrifice Of Praise!”(Heb.13:12-16).
In Judaism, the priest had to take the skin and some parts of a sin offering and burn them to ashes out of the city(Lev.4:12).
In today’s pericope, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews says “…Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.” Believers are urged to “go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.” After all, “here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” In other words, let us leave our past religions of sin, laying aside every weight and sin that clings so closely to us, as we look up to Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith! Hallelujah!
We are pilgrim people, and our pilgrimage should take us to meet the risen Lord Jesus Christ at that place of shame and humiliation outside the camp. We have to be ready to have a taste of what Jesus tasted before becoming the Christ. We must sacrifice the egg to enjoy the omelette!
Our response to what God in Christ has done for us is that through Jesus, therefore, we should “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”
My friend, when was the last time you actually offered to God a sacrifice of praise openly professing his name? Praising God is the least sacrifice that we can offer to God; compared to what he has done for us through Christ our Lord. That is why our sacrifice of praise has to be continually! As long as God has not stopped making his face to shine upon us, we, too, must continually openly declare his goodness through praise.
May we remind ourselves that “God is in the Other!” Therefore, “Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased.”
Devotion and piousness that ignores doing good and sharing with others does not please God. My friend, do not only go to Christ to lay your burden at his feet; go to him to identify with him in his shame and disgrace outside the camp.
Weekend prayer: Holy Spirit, be my strength and encouragement on this pilgrimage to Christ in the place of shame and humiliation. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
24/04/2026.