Thankful Surrender

“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
      If you keep to my path,
      I will reveal to you the salvation of God.“
Psalm 50:23 NLT

I stumbled upon this verse while reading through my Bible in 90 days this week. It was the word ‘sacrifice’ that caught my eye.  Maybe because the Chapter used it twice.

“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
      and keep the vows you made to the Most High.“
Psalm 50:14 NLT

Giving thanks has become a discipline for me. One I strive to do every day and write down in efforts of holding myself accountable. And I have to admit, it’s hard for me to view it as a sacrifice.

But I see it now.

A sacrifice by definition is an offering of surrender. And when we give thanks to God Almighty, we are doing just that.

We’re acknowledging the gift He gave us through that act.
We’re admitting we couldn’t have done that without Him.
We’re humbling ourselves before Him in praise, offering ourselves so He can lavish us with His love in complete surrender.

“To name a thing is to manifest the meaning and value God gave it.”
Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts pg 54

I get the feeling this is the sacrifice God wants most from us. It’s one of the few in the Bible that’s mentioned in both the Old and New Testament.

And to celebrate Thanksliving, I share some of the ways I did just that this last week. Brief moments I bent low before my King and said “Thank You, Father. What would I do without You.” Most of them probably don’t seem all that wonderful to you. Oh, if only you could have been there with me. To see how the gift was wrapped special just for me…

• Stir Crazy popcorn (if you know what this is, we could become fast friends)
• Finding 7 year-old jeans that now fit me! (I’ll try to just wear them around the house ::SMILE::)
• The lesson I was taught while reading Job 36 & 37: Don’t get caught up in the details. Just praise!
• My 3 year-old out of the blue at the breakfast table: “Mom, I want you to know something. If you kiss me, I’ll always kiss you back. Okay?”
• My husband working so hard for us this week
• Every good thing I have comes from God (Psalm 16:2)
• A reader so generously emailing me to give me a heads up on an error on my part — I love those.
• God lights up our darkness (Psalm 18:28)
• The simple joy of blowing bubbles
• First Robin spotting — signs of spring
• God knows every bird (Psalm 50:11)
• Record high temps and the family time to enjoy them while flying kites
• Even when God does not answer, He is still holy. (Psalm 22:1-3)
• A back deck to retreat to
• Receiving vitamin D naturally
• I can call God a close friend (Psalm 55:13)

How about you? What sacrifice can you make today? What are you thankful for? I’d love to hear.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Simply striving,

Nikki

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