THE SACRIFICES OF THANKSGIVING (PART TWO)

Psalm 107:21–22

“Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about His glorious acts.”

We continue our journey through the five ways we can offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to God. Last time we examined the sacrifice of your person and your praise. Today, we look at the next three.

Third: The Sacrifice of Your Prayer

Psalm 141:2

“Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.”

In Scripture, prayer is more than words—it is worship. David describes prayer rising to God like the sweet incense from the altar in the Old Testament. That incense came from sacrifices placed on the brazen altar, where fire from heaven consumed the offering. It was a picture of God’s holiness and His judgment against sin.

Those sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus—the perfect Lamb who offered Himself for us. Because of His sacrifice, we can now come boldly to the golden altar of prayer.

Before we enjoy deep communion in the Holy of Holies, we must first come by way of the altar—through the blood, through repentance, and through surrender.Prayer becomes a sacrifice of thanksgiving when we approach God with humility, dependence, and gratitude for the finished work of Christ.

Fourth: The Sacrifice of Your Possessions

Hebrews 13:16

“But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

The word communicate in this verse means to share, to give, to distribute. Giving is a spiritual act of worship—an offering of thanksgiving. Everything we own is a gift from God, and when we give back to Him, we are acknowledging that truth.

Proverbs 3:9 says,

“Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.”

God doesn’t ask for a place in our lives, nor does He settle for being a priority among many. He calls for preeminence—first place in everything. When we sacrifice our possessions as thanksgiving, we declare that God is our source, our provider, and our Lord.

Fifth: The Sacrifice of Your Purity

Psalm 51:17

“The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”

Of all sacrifices, this is the one God treasures deeply—the offering of a humble, repentant heart. Repentance is not driven by guilt but by God’s goodness.

Romans teaches us that it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, not fear or condemnation.

A broken and contrite heart says,“Lord, I give You my sins, my struggles, my failures, and my desires. Purify me. Transform me. I surrender.”

Purity is a sacrifice of thanksgiving because it recognizes that God is worthy of our obedience, our holiness, and our devotion.

Conclusion

Thanksgiving is more than a word—it’s a lifestyle of surrender.

Each sacrifice we offer—our person, our praise, our prayer, our possessions, and our purity—is simply giving back to God what He has already given us.

We give to Him because He first gave to us.

So the question remains:

Will you offer Him the sacrifices of thanksgiving today?