To Put To Death
Hey Friends,
Wow! There have been some great comments this week on the topic of sacrifice. Let’s talk a little more about the biblical definition of the word. It refers to giving something to the Lord or giving an animal to be killed for the Lord. This happened in the Old Testament where they “sacrificed” animals in the temple for the forgiveness of sins. There are some detailed explanations in the Bible as to how to do this.
In Malachi, God was angry with the Israelites because they were sacrificing animals that were sick or lame. The sacrifice was supposed to be the best they had, but they were “giving the junk” to God. This was an offense to Him. Do you think we are doing the same thing today in the church? We give God our leftovers! People bring their old stuff to church while they buy new stuff for themselves. I’ll bet He is still not happy about that. God is priority and as such He deserves our best sacrifice, certainly not our leftovers. Leftovers are what we give to the dog.
What do you give or sacrifice for and to the Lord? Do you give Him the best hour of the day for devotion and quiet time? Do you give Him the first 10% of all you make? What about over and above? Do you sacrifice time in serving Him? Do you make Him the Lord of all your decisions and all you are?
How about giving up something you love? Eric shared Monday how he sacrificed an automobile he really liked for a ministry. I really believe our lives should be marked by sacrifice. NEVER forget that God gave His Son on the cross for us. We can never out-give or out-sacrifice the God we worship. He has led the way and we are to follow.
What was the last sacrifice you gave to the Lord? This should be an easy question.
Yours to count on,
Pastor
8 Comments
Sometimes the word “sacrifice” becomes a point of pride in the Church. What can we give that is not already God’s?
I see that it is lack of love, on our part, that is the root of contemptable sacrifices.
If I could be permitted, I wish to sound a little funny. I read the twitter update before I read your blog and I was…Aghast! SACRIFICE ANIMALS! OH, MY! I’ll elaborate: we have 19 pets, of which I am the caretaker. 9 birds, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 bunny, 1 bearded dragon, 2 guinea pigs, 1 fish, and 1 frog. My neighbors tell me I am crazy, and maybe I am but that’s ok because I love them all. Thank goodness for Jesus.
When my daughter was 3 she had MRSA bacterial infection. And there was a point that the thought came that she could die. In prayer I realized that my spiritual life toward God and ministry could be the reason for the attack. So the next ? posed was, “if I would not pursue God so, could it save her from this?” The thought of her being taken from me was devastating. But because of my attitude in prayer I was stedfastly strengthened, that I would not back away from God no matter what the enemy did. Even if it meant that she would succumb to this illness. As for me and my house we will serve the LORD!!! This was my response. She was my Isaac. I trusted God, not the circumstance, and knew whatever came that He would turn it for good, and heal the hurt. She recovered and I, on my face, Thank Him and will always.
Malachi chp. 1 I read with all this in mind and I see that it is God’s nature to care for the sick and lame and not condemn them. He doesn’t leave us or forsake us…EVER. I think that it was the peoples lack of love, compassion, mercy and grace that was so horrendous. First toward God and then toward the sick that they were supposed to care for. They were not, in heart, matching the character of God they were being witty or so they thought.
If I had to sacrifice anything that I loved it would be the most beloved of what I have; but so far He hasn’t asked, maybe one day He will, but I know He will make me able and He will fill me with His compassion so that I can withstand.
I wanted to put the scriptures He gave me that spoke strength and volumes to me heart.
Psalms 23 and Joshua 1:8-9
I read Psalm 23 and it really touched me today. Thanks for sharing, Sabrina. We don’t “need” anything because God provides us with what we need. That can help me, specifically, as a reminder of what sacrifice is.
Pastor, what a potent reminder that God doesn’t deserve our “left-overs”! I am now a married, college graduate…I remember how hard it was getting through college financially. I was supporting myself while going to school full time. My family was going through a very dark time and they were not there to support me. I made a commitment to God that I would always give Him my first 10% (and certainly more) whenever I got paid. I distinctly remember times when after I gave my tithe, I had less than $20 in my account. I can’t explain why it felt so good to give during that time. And I can’t explain how God provided, but He always did. Unexpected money would show up at the time I really needed it. I learned a valuable lesson about giving God my first and best. Now that I am married, you have given me a good reminder to stick to this principle in my married life, as well.
Is it possible that we can’t really “sacrifice” anything anymore in regards to resources if we truly have a kingdom mentality? Are we not simply stewards of everything we have now (time, money, stuff)? As stewards, the issue would no longer be what we are willing to sacrifice but rather are we willing to obey God when he asks us for some of his stuff back. With this type of thinking, something as fundamental as tithing is no longer viewed as “giving God 10%” but rather “God is letting us keep 90%” of his stuff”…Different results requires different thinking…and then different acting…
What wonderful ideas and thoughts you all have! I look so forward to reading the blog and all the comments. I especially studied Clay’s comment, how right he is!! A fantastic viewpoint, different and refreshing, encouraging. It used to hurt like pulled teeth to tithe, but in the grand scheme of things, what a small “sacrifice” to make. The pure miracle of it all constantly reminds me of the fish and bread parable, He truly does provide in an awesome way! I guess if I told what I sacrificed lately it would have to be time, and we all know how precious that is. A kingdom mentality, hmmmm, I think that’s going to be in my mind for a long time….God talks to us sometimes through our fellow believers, doesn’t it just make you feel so loved?!
Thats what I want said about me at the end of my life… “He poured out his life to God as a drink offering”