By Joseph Ametepe
"He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God" (Psalm 50:23).
This verse is a precious verse in the Scriptures. It is precious because it teaches us that: genuine gratitude glorifies God. A simple yet significant way for the believer in Jesus Christ to honor Him is to offer to Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving. The context of this verse shows that God is not impressed by meaningless rituals because they are not done with the right inner attitude of the heart. God had never intended outward action to cover up for wrong inward attitude. Take for example daughters who treat their mother indifferently all throughout the year, then smother her with her favorites sweets and chocolate on her birthday. Or sons who rarely thank their father for all he does for them, then give him a tie as a gift on Father's Day. Is that the right way to honor a mother or a father? Certainly not.
Similarly, God's people should not treat Him in such a dishonoring way, giving Him thanks only when it is convenient for them. That's not acceptable to God. God wants His people to learn to offer up genuine heartfelt thanksgiving to Him befitting who He is. He truly deserves sincere gratitude from His children. He doesn't want burnt offerings of bulls and beasts and birds given to Him when our heart attitude is wrong. In the first place, we should realize that God owns everything. Therefore, nothing we give Him can ever take the place of simple gratitude of the heart. Why? It's only genuine gratitude that glorifies God. It honors Him. It also prepares the way for God to bless us some more. The Hebrew word translated "honor" is "kabad." It means "to be wealthy," "to be rich," or "glory." It also means, "carry a lot of weight." It speaks something that is noteworthy or impressive. So, giving thanksgiving to God with a sincere heart is noteworthy. It carries a lot of weight before God.
Let's learn to offer to God thanksgiving that carries weight in His sight. Let our thanksgiving be genuine and consistent, not one that is offered when it is convenient for us!