“Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15).
A sacrifice is something of value which is freely given up by one person in order to please, enhance, or benefit another. Jesus’ death on the cross is an example of the supreme sacrifice.
He freely offered up His life for us human beings m order to accomplish for us what we could never do for ourselves: pay the full price of our redemption from our sins.
The sacrifice of praise is something we offer up to our Lord. A sacrifice requires self-denial. Just as Jesus voluntarily gave us His life for our sakes, though He despised the cross, so we give Him the praise and thanksgiving due Him, though we may not always feel like doing so.
If ours is to be a true sacrifice, we cannot wait for favorable circumstances before we offer it. We are to offer up praise and thanks continually. Such praise is not always a sincere expression of the heart.
Sometimes the fruit of our lips can be the most shallow effort imaginable. Phonetically, all the lips can do is enunciate sounds. Those sounds alone do not necessarily constitute true praise. It is when the lips overflow with that which is welling up in our innermost being that we produce the real fruit of praise.
However, even if our praise does seem superficial and shallow, it is still highly acceptable as a sacrifice to the Lord. God does not require us to feel, only to acknowledge: “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6).
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Dick Mills was ordained at The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in 1949. He and his wife Betty traveled as evangelists all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. Dick and Betty are now home in heaven.
In 1966 Dick and Betty became a part of the then-emerging Charismatic Renewal. Passing through all denominational barriers, Dick has had the opportunity to speak in thousands of churches of varied backgrounds all over the world.
He ministered within several Christian organizations, including the Full Gospel Business Men, Women's Aglow, Inter-church Renewal Catholic Pentecostals, mainline Charismatic groups, CBN and TBN television networks, and many other independent Christian TV stations.
Dick appeared on numerous radio talk shows, written several magazine articles, and spoke at many Bible conferences and universities. He served as an adjunct professor at six Schools of the Bible and Seminaries.
In addition, Dick authored and co-authored several books and tapes. Dick's ministry was characterized by the unique gifts God has blessed him with. His services informed, enlightened, and motivated people to a higher level of commitment to God.