{"id":1086,"date":"2010-04-18T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2010-04-18T00:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html"},"modified":"2010-04-18T00:00:01","modified_gmt":"2010-04-18T00:00:01","slug":"a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving<\/h3>\n
READ Psalm 116:1-19<\/a><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n

\nI will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
     and call on the name of the LORD.
\n<\/p>\n

Psalm 116:17<\/a><\/div>\n

\nPsalm 116 celebrates God’s goodness. The psalmist has experienced God’s
\ngrace in manifold expressions. God has heard his prayers (116:1). God
\ndelivered him from death (116:3-6), guided his steps (116:8-9), and
\nfreed him from chains (116:16). Therefore, the psalmist loves the Lord
\nand offers him praise (116:1, 19). Moreover, he proclaims to God: “I
\nwill offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the
\nLord” (116:17). <\/p>\n

Among
\nthe sacrifices of the Old Testament were offerings that were given when
\npeople wanted to thank God in a special way. These “thank offerings”
\nwere among the “peace offerings” that were presented to the Lord and
\nthen eaten by the people in celebration (Lev. 7:15). The writer of
\nPsalm 116 may very well have had such an offering in mind when he spoke
\nof offering “a sacrifice of thanksgiving” to the Lord (116:17).<\/p>\n

Today,
\nwe don’t offer the kind of thank offerings specified in the Old
\nTestament law. Sometimes we do make special gifts to our church or a
\nChristian ministry as a way of saying “thank you” to God. But our
\n“sacrifice of thanksgiving” tends to be more in words and songs as we
\nlift up our voices to express our gratitude to God.<\/p>\n

Yet, the
\nmore we grow in our experience of God’s grace, the more we discover
\nthat thanksgiving isn’t simply something we say to God, but a way of
\nliving each day. Our “thank offerings” take the form of faithfulness as
\nwe seek to honor the Lord in all that we do. We learn to savor the
\ngoodness of each day, offering ourselves as living sacrifices, living
\n“thank offerings” to our gracious God.<\/p>\n

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION<\/strong>: How do you offer thanks to God? What might it mean for you to live thankfully each day?<\/p>\n

PRAYER<\/strong>:
\nO Lord, you have been so good to me. Too often I take your grace for
\ngranted. But today I’m reminded by Psalm 116 of the manifold ways you
\nhave blessed me. Indeed, you have heard my prayers. You have delivered
\nme from “deathly” living, guided my steps, and freed me from the chains
\nof my sin. Therefore, today I offer you a “sacrifice of thanksgiving”
\nas I call upon your name. Thank you, dear Lord, for all the ways you
\nhave blessed me.<\/p>\n

May I live today with a persistent sense of
\ngratitude. May I be open to your gifts, your presence. May I see your
\ngoodness and give you the credit you deserve. May I thank you, not only
\nin words, but in how I live all day long.<\/p>\n

All praise and thanks be to you, O God. Hallelujah! Amen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"high-calling-screenshot-4.jpg\"Would you like to receive a Daily Reflection like this one in your email inbox each morning?  <\/strong>
\nHere’s how . . . . <\/em><\/strong>
\nThis devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work <\/em>(www.thehighcalling.org<\/a>), a wonderful website about work and God<\/em>. You can read my Daily Reflections<\/a> there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox<\/a> each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving READ Psalm 116:1-19   I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving     and call on the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:17 Psalm 116 celebrates God’s goodness. The psalmist has experienced God’s grace in manifold expressions. God has heard his prayers (116:1). God delivered him from death (116:3-6), guided his steps (116:8-9),…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[112,110,242,111],"class_list":["post-1086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sunday-inspiration","tag-psalm-116","tag-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving","tag-sunday-inspiration","tag-thanks"],"yoast_head":"\nSunday Inspiration from The High Calling - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving READ Psalm 116:1-19   I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving     and call on the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:17 Psalm 116 celebrates God’s goodness. The psalmist has experienced God’s grace in manifold expressions. God has heard his prayers (116:1). God delivered him from death (116:3-6), guided his steps (116:8-9),…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-04-18T00:00:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/files\/import\/photos\/high-calling-screenshot-4.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling - Mark D. Roberts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling - Mark D. Roberts","og_description":"A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving READ Psalm 116:1-19   I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving     and call on the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:17 Psalm 116 celebrates God’s goodness. The psalmist has experienced God’s grace in manifold expressions. God has heard his prayers (116:1). God delivered him from death (116:3-6), guided his steps (116:8-9),…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html","og_site_name":"Mark D. Roberts","article_published_time":"2010-04-18T00:00:01+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/files\/import\/photos\/high-calling-screenshot-4.jpg"}],"author":"Mark D. Roberts","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html","name":"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling - Mark D. Roberts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/files\/import\/photos\/high-calling-screenshot-4.jpg","datePublished":"2010-04-18T00:00:01+00:00","dateModified":"2010-04-18T00:00:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/files\/import\/photos\/high-calling-screenshot-4.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/files\/import\/photos\/high-calling-screenshot-4.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/a-sacrifice-of-thanksgiving-read.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1086\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}