Thursday, August 8, 2013

Defective Sacrifice

Animal sacrifices were an intrical part of the ancient Jewish devotion to God. There were any number of sacrifices, depending on one's reason for sacrifice and personal wealth. There was one common thread, however, woven into every sacrice offered: It must not have "any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable" (Deut 17:1).

This requirement was not arbitrary or capricious, it was meant to forecast the perfect sacrifice of God's Son at Calvary (cf. 1 Cor 5:7-8).  God gave His "one and only Son" (Jn 3:16) as sacrifice for our sins - our response cannot be half-hearted or less than our best. True devotion and authentic sacrifice cannot be realized while holding back our best and offering what we do not really value.

Digging into your pocket to see what's left over to put in the offering plate is an offense to God.  Doing everything else that you wanted to do and then seeing if you have any time left to devote to kingdom work is an affront. Offering to God what you don't really need or want is no sacrifice at all - it indicates little or no devotion.

Try offering your fiancĂ©e or your spouse your leftovers or things of no value to you. How loved or valued do you suppose she/he would feel?  Moreover, when you deeply love someone, do you even want to give him/her leftovers or things of no real value?

The disciple's call is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matt 22:37) and to "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" (Matt 6:33).  Where does God rank in the priorities of your heart?  What is reflected by the amount of time, energy and resources you offer to Him?  What does your offering to God say about your devotion to Him?

Jus' Askn.


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