Daily Devotional – Saturday, June 18, 2022
But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Hebrews 13:16 (NKJV)
The Ten Commandments are two sets of the same law. The first four commandments revolve around one’s personal relationship with God. The remaining six commandments address human relationships.
Jesus identifies the first and greatest commandment in the law as, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37). He adds, “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Verse 40).
The Sacrifice of Praise to God
he author of Hebrews sustains this thread, albeit from an offering perspective, when he urges, “Therefore, by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15).
Praising God from a genuine heart is a sacrifice God loves. The best ‘fruit of our lips’ is to live righteously while proclaiming God’s goodness to others. This a continuous exercise as long as we are alive.
The Sacrifice of Service to Humanity
On our relationship with fellow humans, the author says, “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16).
The second offering that God is pleased with is our service to humanity. We delight God when we are kind and share His blessings with the disadvantaged. We express our love for God by loving others.
The sacrifice of praise improves the vertical relationship while service to humanity enhances the horizontal link.
Prayer
Almighty Father, teach me how to offer genuine sacrifices to You through my vertical and horizontal relationships.
