Thursday Thoughts

Sacrifice

So first of all, I have to admit that I have been a little bit like kid on Christmas Eve waiting for today to get here. (I know, I’m a dork.) I am just so excited to see what you have all been studying this week. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” That is so true, and I feel that by sharing what has been on our hearts this week and what we have learned from the word of God, we can really encourage each other as friends.

That said, I also have to admit that I have been so out of touch with God’s word, that when I was trying to figure out what to study this week, I didn’t even know where to start! There is so much to be gained from the scriptures, that it can be a little overwhelming knowing where to go first. So, I just randomly opened my bible and started reading wherever I landed. I figured that is better than not opening it at all, right?

I ended up in I Samuel chapter 15 (I know, it would have been easier if I'd ended up in Ephesians or something). One verse specifically stood out to me, verse 22 that says, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” God had told Saul to go and destroy the Amalekites, and that included all of their livestock. Saul decided, however, to keep the best of the livestock to use as a sacrifice to God. God didn’t want Saul’s sacrifice because he had not obeyed what He told him to do. Saul’s heart was not in the right place. So God removed him from being the king over Isreal. So how does that apply to me?

I found several other verses that dealt with the kinds of sacrifices God does want (the psalms are filled with these kinds of verses):

• Psalm 51:16,17~"For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-these, O God, You will not despise."
• Psalm 69:30,31~"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull"
• Psalm 107:22~"Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing."
• Hebrews 13:15-16~"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

So from reading all of these scriptures, I learned that sitting in a pew 3x a week and "worshipping" God is not enough. He doesn't want my sacrifice if he doesn't have my heart. The kind of sacrifices that truly please God are a repentant heart, praise and thanksgiving, and to do good and share. God wants my obedience, and that means giving Him my whole heart, not just the Sunday morning part of it.