Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Hebrews 13:15,16
If you were to look at my life, you’d quickly find that I’m a bunch of contradictions. You know, things that you normally don’t see together. Things that don’t go together are jammed together. My life is filled with different pieces that don’t mix well. You put these different parts of my life next to one another and they look like a jumbled mess.
Another way to think about my life is that I’m like Italian dressing. Think about the last time you picked up a bottle of Italian dressing, the oil was all on the bottom while the vinegar was on top. And no matter how hard you shook the bottle, the oil and vinegar always, always, always quickly separated.
As a kid, I knew that I could fix the Italian dressing problem. One time I sat there in my mom’s kitchen and shook the bottle as hard as I could. I knew that I could do what no one else in the world could do; make them come together. But as soon as I stopped shaking, they quickly began to go back to their part of the bottle.
For years I failed at the Italian dressing challenge. I thought long and hard about how to bring oil and vinegar together so they’d stay that way. I kept shaking and shaking all through my life, thinking that my hard work would be enough. But no matter how hard I tried, how hard I shook them together, they just kept floating apart.
That is until someone who knew a whole lot more than I did showed me how. Or maybe I should say that they showed me what. After adding a little bit of a new, magical ingredient, I could shake the oil and vinegar and they didn’t separate.
What powerful, miraculous new ingredient could do in a minute what I couldn’t do in a lifetime of trying? In cooking terms it’s called an emulsifier and lets things come together that normally stay apart. So, for Italian dressing to stay mixed, just add a little bit of mayonnaise or mustard before shaking.
I know that this is going to sound crazy, but then again, it’s me. Jesus is being described as our great spiritual emulsifier. He brings together both Jew and Gentile. Slave and free. Male and female[1]. The writer describes three things that Jesus also brings together that don’t need to be separated anymore. Now they are allowed anywhere and at anytime.
Praise. This is the present and active act of telling God just how great he is. How holy and mighty he is. How merciful and loving he is. How without his sacrifice through Jesus, we’d never have our sins forgiven once and for all. Internal praise will always, always, always bubble out of our mouths and be heard by others. Just like there’s no such thing as fruit that stays inside, praise never stays stuck inside. Fruit is the natural result of a healthy plant or tree. Praise will always be heard from a life that’s forgiven and made new[2].
Do good. When the weight of all our guilt and shame are pulled off us through Jesus, we naturally want to jump up and down with joy. This excitement isn’t just for our emotional or spiritual enjoyment. It will energize us to do things that please Jesus. His love and sacrifice for us will make us want to serve others. Feeding the hungry. Caring for the lonely and depressed. Comforting those who can’t get up anymore. Healing the hurt.
Share. And while doing good is good, it doesn’t stop with just us alone. We have to be willing to give up our independence. Giving up ownership on all we have and all we are. And this includes doing things with others. I know that it’s easier to do things all by ourselves. I’m the master of not needing any help. But one of the ways that God wants to change us is to work well together with others because it’s a model of who he is.
When we’re praising, doing good, and sharing, something marvelous happens. Actually it’s a miracle that can’t be achieved any other way. God himself is pleased. Our good service to him and others brings pleasure to God.
Think about that for a minute. Before Jesus, we all were hiding from God. Afraid of him and his anger that leads to pain and punishment. But now in Jesus, his forgiveness changes us. Changes everything. We’re transformed from a life that’s afraid of punishment to a life that celebrates being a God pleaser.
Could there be a bigger change in a life? From lost to found. From blind to see. From a life that’s all focused on ourselves to a life that gives thanks and praise to God. And that praise doesn’t just sit there. It moves out and infects the lives of the people all around. One changed life changes another. And another. And yet another.
So, what’s holding us back? God wants us to live a life of praise that’s right there in our life for all to see. A life that’s filled with good works and sharing for all to experience. Faith in Jesus is always, always, always experienced inside but expressed and experienced on the outside. His changing us is there for all to see.
Noodling Questions
How easily do you accept change? And then actually doing it?
Describe how Jesus has brought your life together, making sense of it.
Why are we afraid to do the change that we know God wants to make?
[1] Galatians 3:28
[2] 2 Corinthians 5:17
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