Sometimes, when there is a highlight in my life, a “praise the Lord!” slips out. I say “slips out”, because it’s a spontaneous reaction. Something I didn’t plan. But I have another problem with that first sentence in that it begins with “sometimes”.

Why do we only praise God sometimes? Why can’t we honour Him more for what He does for us? Every morning when I get up and can breathe in deeply, I should use the oxygen well when I breathe out, and say: “Praise the Lord for giving me another day!”

Indeed, it’s a command: ¹⁵Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.

If we really understand what Jesus went through and what He made possible for us, if we understand the death by torture that He experienced, so that we are no longer accountable for our sin, then you would want to praise God every moment of the day and not only sometimes.

But we can’t do it. We don’t even talk much about God. Often, the people we work with or the people we’re in contact with every day don’t even know that we’re children of God.

Jesus has done so much for us. The Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit maintain the world for us. They make it possible for the world to keep turning on its axis. They make sure that the galaxies stay in place and don’t crash into the earth. They ensure that the seasons come when it’s time, even though humans try to mess that up too.

I think we struggle to live this command simply because it is a command and not something that comes naturally. Like the “Praise the Lord” that sometimes slips out of my mouth. We must make a deliberate effort to praise the Father and Jesus for what they’ve done for us.

Gratitude towards Jesus is not something that just slips out. Gratitude is a lifestyle and when it is a lifestyle, the sometimes becomes all the time, and we can’t stop ourselves from praising God for every little thing that happens to us.

Even when we have to battle up the mountain, we can thank God, because even though we don’t see the whole picture, we know and believe that God will use what we are struggling through to shape us and get us to the way He sees us.

Let’s make a point of striving for a lifestyle driven by gratitude for our Creator and for Jesus who came to save our lives. Let’s be open about it so that the people around us will know exactly Who reigns in our lives.

Let’s not be afraid to give credit where credit is due. Indeed, that’s why I can’t stop myself from saying out loud right now: “Praise the Lord, for He is good! Without Him, I would’ve been nothing!”

Scripture
Hebrews 13:9-16

Reflection
Are you living a life of gratitude?
Do the people around you know it?
Where can you live differently?

Prayer
Jesus, thank you sounds so small. You are my everything. Without You I’m nothing. Help me today to live a life where people will experience my gratitude towards You. Amen.