Our whole life should be a sacrifice of praise. Our good deeds and generosity are primarily sacrifices of praise blending into the cosmic symphony of worship to the Lord (Heb 13:16). We not only worship the Lord in spirit, but offer our "bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, [our] spiritual worship" (Rm 12:1). When we offer praise as a sacrifice, we glorify God (Ps 50:23).
"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, bless His holy name" (Ps 103:1). We praise with all our being and all our time. Life can be simply defined as an ever-mounting crescendo of praise. At the end, we just praise our way off the face of this earth and enter the perfect, eternal praise of Heaven.
Ask the Spirit to increase your praise quotient. How much of the day do you praise and worship? How many of your deeds praise Him? Ask God to increase your praise time. Praise the Lord for things you never have included in your praises before. Can you now praise Him in even the most difficult circumstance? Say you've had a bad day. You've been attacked, stripped, flogged, imprisoned, and chained (Acts 16:22-24). With Sts. Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25), can you still praise the Lord "always and for everything"? (Eph 5:20)
| PRAYER: | "May the God of peace, Who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do His will" (Heb 13:20-21). |
| PROMISE: | Jesus "pitied them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them at great length." –Mk 6:34 |
| PRAISE: | St. Josephine was treated brutally as a child by her slave masters. Then a kinder master placed her in a convent for a time. Josephine profoundly experienced the love of God. She eventually became a joy-filled religious sister. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College