Day 40: Praising Church

Daily Devotional

Hebrews 13:15

15 “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”

Praise the Lord Grace Church! It’s amazing to think we've made it through 39 days of lent devotionals as a church. I’m sure these past six weeks have truly been a spiritual journey filled with a lot of stretching as we sought to be new wineskins together. As we finish our lent devotionals, the author of today’s passage is encouraging us to always do one thing. And that is to continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. The key word to emphasize here is the word continually, which in Greek literally means forever, always. Today’s passage is a reminder to us, as a praising church, that we are called to praise God through every season of life. It is a reminder that we are called to offer up our praises; not just on Sundays or during church events like Lent season, but to offer up praises of thanksgiving to God at all times. At the same time, regardless of the season we might find ourselves in, whether highs or lows, we are called to continually pour out our praises. And one way we can do this, according to our passage, is through the fruit of our lips that acknowledge his name. In other words, the author tells us to vocally express our praises of thanksgiving to God by acknowledging who God is and what He has done in our lives. In doing so, our worship will never cease because it is founded upon who God is and not the circumstances we face in life. Remember, it is through Him, being Jesus, we offer up our praises! Let’s reflect on the new life we have in Jesus and offer up songs of praise all throughout the day as we prepare ourselves for Easter Sunday!

Weekly Application

As part of a praising church, make it a priority to offer your genuine praise and worship to God every day of this week. Be intentional in finding ways to express your gratitude and adoration towards God, whether it’s through singing, praying, or sharing your testimony of His goodness. As you do this, may there be high expectation that the atmosphere to praise will draw you closer to God and lift up the people around you. This week, challenge yourself to praise God in at least one new way each day. It could be as simple as thanking Him for the beauty of nature, or as bold as sharing your faith with someone who doesn’t know Him yet. Let us become a praising church that brings hope to the world around us and a glory to God above.