Sacrificial Sacrifice

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. Hebrews 13:15

Bummed

Have you ever had one of those days? Today is not one of them for me, but I’ve had my fill. I remember a one time waking up really  bummed. I won’t say that I was depressed, I just

wasn’t happy. I rose from bed in a foul mood and it carried throughout much of the day. As far as church and worship went, I just wasn’t into it. But in a moment of discernment, I found myself praying to the Lord that [ironically] I had earlier lagged to praise, and wouldn’t you know it, Jesus responded. God is faithful even when I am not, and accordingly, He provided me a Bible study which focused on continual sacrificial praise. As a result I came away with a renewed appreciation for sacrificial giving, whether it is in regard to worship, service, or benevolence.

Seasons

Seasons (and the feelings that accompany them), will always be with us; there will be always be rain in spring, growth in summer, harvest in autumn, and stillness in winter. Changes occur over the course of a lifetime or in a moment in time, with the only certainty being that there will be change. Having said that, Christians know (or should know) that we are a people led by the Spirit and not our emotions.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9

God Knows

The fact that we have emotional ups and downs is no secret to God. He gave us the emotions to begin with, but He also gave us choice. As a result, God has provided a way by which we can give sacrificially; praising Him in spite of our emotional or physical condition. Anyone can praise God when there is spiritual growth or harvest, but when the rain pours or our hearts are cold, we’ve been given an exit strategy divine — it all boils down to the choices we can make in the light of any affliction. I suspect that the widow in Mark 12 had some impassioned feelings regarding her poverty, yet she still chose wisely. Is this not of God? Is this not praise?

This poor widow has put in more (praise) than all those who have given…for they all (praised) out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had (Mark 12:43b-44, paraphrase mine)

I Missed Out

God’s message to me was timely and I found myself that morning praising Him for His faithfulness to me in my times of faithlessness. He had lifted me out of an emotional pit and had placed me on higher ground, able to praise Him with abundant joy where there was done previously. However, I also realize that I had an opportunity to praise Him sacrificially (in my emotional poverty) and let that chance slip through my fingers. That knowledge might be depressing to me if not for this truth:

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1

(If you enjoyed the post please ‘like’ it, share it, subscribe to the blog, or leave a comment below and keep the discussion going. God bless).

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Don’t Embrace the Shadow

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. Hebrews 10:1-3

 A Shadow of Our Savior

We should recall that the writer of Hebrews is admonishing ‘Jewish Christians‘ to not return to their old sacrificial, ‘first covenant’ system. In the Hebrews 10 passage above, they are specifically being reminded that if these old ordinances were of any effect, they would not have to do them over and over. So while it’s true the rituals covered their sin (for a year at a time), it’s also true that they did not remove their sin, doing very little for the conscience and nothing towards salvation. With each and every sacrifice, the liturgies were doing little more than bringing their transgressions, and the guilt associated with them, into their memory.

How was this happening?

Put yourself in the Jew‘s shoes. Every year the sinner (in this case, every Jew) would bring his prized little lamb or mighty bull to be sacrificed. As per the law, these animals were to be the best of their best, born and hence maintained to be without imperfection. Naturally, their hearts would ache as they walked these beasts from their homes to the temple, knowing the animal’s fate. Finally, when the priest took possession of the their animal, and the knife was plunged in, and the critter would squeal, and the blood would begin to flow, how could they not lament that their sin caused this dreadful thing to occur. Animal sacrifice was never meant to be a pretty thing and subsequently they were reminded each year, “Nothing has changed; I am still an appalling sinner. Look at what I have done.”

Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. 2 Cor. 7:9

God had a purpose in all this — these things were a picture of what was to come in Christ Jesus, but as we have come to know, pictures and shadows do not save a man. Our sin should make us sorrowful, but in Christ Jesus it is a one-time event. After the Law (the old covenant) has done the job of identifying us as sinners, we can take the offenses, along with the guilt and the shame, and leave it at the foot of the cross, once and for all. The accuser of the brethren might bring up our sin, but Jesus never will.

Not to worry…

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. Revelation 12:10

Our new covenant in Jesus, His ultimate and final sacrifice, has done away with the old system. As a result, we no longer lament.

Today, Jesus says in our communion with Him, “Do this in remembrance of Me!”

Nowhere does Jesus ever say, or will He ever say, do this in remembrance of your sin.  So while Godly sorrow (appropriate sorrow) works to bring us to a place of repentance, we do not need to sacrifice Jesus over and over. For this reason we do not recall the sin, but joyfully recall the Savior of our salvation. We celebrate Holy Communion, we don’t bewail it.

The work is done, we are forgiven, we are free, and we are at peace.

For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:13-14

Sacrificial System = Dead Works

But you say, “I’m not sacrificing animals for my sins; never have, never will.”

Me either. However, many are guilty of doing good works that they falsely believe will save them, while others are faulted in rejecting His grace and embracing their shortcomings, beating themselves up with the ugliness of their sinful past.  Jesus would not have us fall into that trap, which is why the Book of Hebrews is applicable to every believer.

Christ desires that we would celebrate Communion often as a reminder that He finished all the work on the cross, and that we need not get sucked back into our own little sacrificial systems; those “Oh, I sinned again,” pity-parties that we have a tendency to throw for ourselves.

Final Exam

Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. (1 Corinthians 11:28-29)

Why are we to examine ourselves?

To give worth to Christ’s deed, and not to be consumed with our selfish impulses and false ideologies. When we acknowledge the work is done, we are free and we are at peace with the Lord, hence we do not condemn ourselves. In other words, the examination process is to focus on Jesus (giving Him worth) and not ourselves, lest we fall back into the practices as the Hebrews were doing. Behaving in an unworthy manner only serves to bring judgment upon ourselves.

So let us celebrate our salvation. The tomb is empty, we are free, and we are saved!

Rejoice and stay the course!

These articles may or may not be related:

• Law of Moses 104 – A Christian Perspective (kswptim.wordpress.com)
• Rescued Out of Darkness and Confusion: Robin’sTestimony (kimolsen.wordpress.com)
• Is the Blood of Christ Really a Big Deal? And Why You Should Care (vineoflifenews.com)
• Hebrews 1-6 (whatshotn.wordpress.com)
• Are You Even Saved? Moving Out of Comfort to Consider Whether We Truly Live (doctorsnyder7.wordpress.com)
• Yom Kippur: A Reason for Christians to Celebrate (katrinastephenskaiser.wordpress.com)
• A Judgmental Charismalvinist: Part 3 (The Gospel) (brenthellendoorn.wordpress.com)
• Hebrews 7-10 (whatshotn.wordpress.com)
• A Greater Savior, A Superior Call: A Faith That Endures (churchinstpeters.com)
• How Jesus Says To Read The Old Testament (jonahmb.wordpress.com)

I pray you enjoyed the post. If you did please like it, share it, subscribe to it, or comment on it. I read and respond to very comment.

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Mercy You

Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself? Why then do You not pardon my transgression, And take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, And You will seek me diligently, But I will no longer be.” Job 7:20-21

Here’s the scene: a painfully tormented Job is sitting in the dust scraping at his crusty, worm-infested, oozing flesh with a piece of broken glass, while simultaneously mourning the loss of ten children, his wealth, and his business. Months have gone by and in come his three good friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar to cheer him up.

Eliphaz speaks first and mercilessly charges him with unspecified offenses against God that brought about all his suffering. Somehow Job musters up a response, but then wisely (and still in the company of his three friends) turns to God in prayer. No sooner does the Amen cross his crackled lips, friend number two chimes in.

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: “How long will you speak these things, And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind? Does God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice? Job 8:1-3

Job’s loving friend just called him a windbag. If that weren’t enough, Bildad would go on to tell Job that his sons and daughters were dead because they were sinners, that he (Bildad) always knew his empire was on the verge of collapse, and that when he (Job) was gone ‘nobody’ was going to miss him.

How does that expression go, “With friends like these who needs enemies?”

Defending God

To make matters worse, Bildad implied by way of his comments that God was on his side. The fact is the only thing Bildad got right is that God is just; everything else he got wrong. The reality is neither Bildad nor Job had a clue what was going on. In their darkness Job’s friends turned on him, but to his credit Job turned to God. Bildad, having heard Job’s prayer, erred in two ways in his response: supposing his need to defend God’s sovereignty, and disposing of an opportunity to exhibit mercy.

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Matthew 9:13

There are only three times in the Bible that Jesus tells His disciples to go and learn something. In addition to the lesson of Matthew 9:13, He tells us to take His yoke and learn from Him in order that we may find our rest (Matthew 11:29) and to learn the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32), an admonishment to be cognizant of the times.

In that regard, Bildad struck out on three pitches—he was oblivious to what was going on around him, he had no serenity, and worst of all, he was merciless. Why–because he placed his entire weight upon justice; that is to say that he set mercy aside so he might insure the justice of God was intact (as if He needed us to do that).

Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter. 1 Samuel 6:19

Nowhere in the Bible is that better illustrated then in the account above. The Philistines had just returned the Ark of the Covenant to Israel and the first thing they do is pop off the cover to see if the Ten Commandments are still inside. Did you catch that? The removed the ‘Mercy Seat’ to see if the Law was still intact.

Where does God choose to meet His people–at the seat of mercy, that’s where! Enter Jesus. Here’s the truth: those who bypass mercy and rely upon the law for their salvation, die–God used the death of fifty seven thousand Israeli men to emphasize that point very clearly.

Don’t misinterpret what’s being said, the Law has its place; it is the road sign that brings us to His mercy and grace. Know the Law, embrace the Law, use the Law to bring lost souls to a place of redemption, then swiftly allow it to be covered-over by the gracious blood of Christ Jesus at the Mercy Seat. Bildad forsook that opportunity and God forever made him an example of what not to do. Let us endeavor to bring every conversation back around to the loving embrace of our Lord and Savior.

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height–to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

 

These ramblings are typically (but not always) a byproduct inspired by God through my personal Bible study at SearchLight with Pastor Jon Courson and with my pastor at my home church, Calvary Chapel Coastlands

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Gone a Whoring

Gone a Whoring“Whatever man of the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord, the guilt of bloodshed shall be imputed to that man…They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.” Leviticus 17:3-4, 7

Not Guilty?

Were the Jews of this day actually making sacrifices to satan and/or his demons? It would seem that they were on occasion, but for the Christian that is not really the issue. For those who consider themselves followers of Christ Jesus what matters is how we might construct a modern-day application for this passage so we may not do similarly. To do so, the very first thing we must examine is whether or not we are offering our sacrifices of praise and/or thanksgiving to the devil; have we too gone a whoring?

”Of course not, ” I suspect everyone is saying, ”my praises and the thanks I give are solely to the Lord!”

For brevity’s sake, I concur, Not guilty!” In fact (and you might agree with me), I do a pretty good job of giving thanks; i.e. remembering God for all the goodness He has provided. But what about the times I do not give thanks? Oh not the times I forget (which is also common), but when I choose to not thank God for His provision—what about those times?

The truth of the matter is simply this—when I opt to not thank God for that which I am about to receive, regardless if it is victuals or vocations, chances are it is because I know that the thing I am about to partake of is not of God. In other words I have gone a whoring. What might that look like? Often times it’s apparent in what I may elect to view on TV or at the movies. Would I invite Jesus to watch with me? Would I give Him thanks for providing the opportunity to watch it?

Here is the bottom line from God’s perspective: if I cannot thank Him for it, then I should not be a part of it. This is precisely what He was conveying to Israel in the Leviticus passage and it’s what He is communicating to us today. Give thanks always and to Him only.

 

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What God Wants From You

And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel. Exodus 27:20-21

Connectivity Commanded Continually

In our examination of the Tabernacle we can discern by the Holy Spirit that every bit; every thread is a prophetic arrow pointing us towards Jesus Christ ~and~ our relationship with Him by faith. Even the oil in the Tabernacle lamps is prophetically significant, for in it we have been given a divine edict—a mandate speaking to a sustained union to Christ Jesus. This command finds its roots in our recollection that oil is a symbol of the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Essentially the passage tells us that we are to keep the Holy Spirit flowing. This is our primary sacrifice and the facilitator for all others.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart– These, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17

We start with a broken spirit in order that His Holy Spirit may take up residence—that is our jumping off (or jumping in) point. Then the application from the Exodus passage kicks in. It commands us to continually maintain connectivity to His Spirit—this is what God desires. Everything else we say or do is really nothing more than a natural byproduct of yielding persistently to the Holy Spirit. Psalm 40 provides even more perspective.

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.” I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly. Psalm 40:6-7

Read this verse and omit the Holy Spirit from the equation. Suddenly we are left with ears that cannot hear, scripture that cannot be discerned, and service that cannot be enjoyed. Without the Holy Spirit in us there is no preservation of His Word, no proclamation of His truth, and no declarations of His faithfulness. Remove the Holy Spirit or fail to continually our relationship and all we think we have to offer and sacrifice is concealed. This is precisely why God has mandated that we uphold our connection with the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Deny the Spirit and everything we offer is despicable in His sight.

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Sacrifice and Praise

Sacrifice and PraiseSo Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac…Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph… Genesis 46:1 & 28

It Seemed Like the Right Thing to Do

I can scarcely begin to tell how many times I have advanced a decision to do something based exclusively on the notion that it seemed like the right thing to do. By God’s grace, not every choice was dreadful; sometimes things turned out well and other times, not so well. Our Father would rather our movements be in harmony with His and so, through His servant Israel He provides instruction, that if pursued will facilitate discerning His will before we leap haphazardly.

Digging Up the Past

Israel is about to enter Egypt and he stops. I suppose his memory drifts back to the days of his grandfather Abraham who found himself in a similar predicament—there was famine in the land and he too went to Egypt for resources. At the time, to Abraham it must have seemed like the right thing to do, but his grievous error was in not seeking God’s will. Despite the fact he returned a wealthy man, part of his yield included a slave girl named Hagar, who would bear him a son named Ishmael, the likes of which the world still struggles today.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

Israel is unquestionably anxious to see his son Joseph and to obtain provision for his family, but he stops just short of entering in and inquires of God. While impatience, eagerness, and enthusiasm are my customary stumbling blocks, Israel demonstrates that selfishness will not stand between him and his relationship with his Father. Subsequently, God honors that sacrifice by authorizing and confirming Israel’s entry into Egypt.

“I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.” Genesis 46:3-4

Ready, Set, GO!

Not so fast. This is the stage where many of us would proclaim, “Gentlemen, start your engines!” as we geared-up to move forward with God’s blessing, but Israel’s reaction is quite different. Relaxed and poised he selects his son Judah to go before him and to greet Joseph. Why Judah? Because the name Judah (in Hebrew) means praise—Israel moves forth with praise and praise leads the way! Let us by sacrifice seek His will and then proceed with our praises toward Him.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalms 100:4

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After These Things

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:1-2Could You Do as Abraham Did?

I could not, but that is only because God has not prepared me to do what Abraham has done; God is preparing me to do something else and He is preparing you to do something else. We would recall that God commenced His work in Abraham when he was seventy five years old and does not ask him to sacrifice Isaac until fifty seven years have elapsed. In other words, God had invested over fifty years of spiritual preparation in Abraham and perhaps more importantly, Abraham submitted himself to it.

Are You Submitted

We can admit it. So many of us will not tender ourselves to God because we fear that He might ask us to do something we aren’t prepared or willing to do. The old cliché, “God never gives us anything we can’t handle, ” just doesn’t seem to ring true for us. Well, that’s a good thing, because that little chestnut is erroneous. A proper adage would declare that God never gives us anything He can’t handle—God makes our way, not the other way around.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

From Comfort to Completion

Hopefully the truth of 1 Corinthians soothes you, but you might wonder why a Christian would want to be positioned similarly to Abraham. Of what benefit could it possibly be? We do not know if Abraham fully understood the implications at the time, but we have the advantage of being able to examine the entire sequence of events permitting us to see the bigger picture…a picture perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-3

Starting With Faith…

This is exactly where Abraham started his expedition. The Book of Hebrews reminds us that by faith Abraham obeyed. Faith always comes first and it can only ripen as it steeps in blind submission. Compliance of that sort looks like this:

…He was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Hebrews 11:8

Drawing on Hope…

When it was revealed to Abraham that he and his matured wife would bring forth a nation from a yet conceived child, he chose hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. ‘Hope’ is an oft misused word in today’s culture, but as applied by Abraham, it came with the notion that he absolutely expected fulfillment of God’s promise. Only active faith gives birth to that kind of hope.

Abraham, who is the father of us all…who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” Romans 4:16 + 18

Maturing in Love…

You might find this incredible, but we see God using the word ‘love’ for the very first time in the Bible in this passage about Abraham and Isaac. It is not an accident. God has fundamentally waited twenty-two chapters to introduce us to this word and when He does, it is within the context of a father’s love for his son.

Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love… Genesis 22:2

Have you ever wondered why? Well it certainly is true that what God is asking Abraham to do with Isaac is a symbolic depiction of what He would later do Himself on Calvary with His Son Jesus, but that’s not the entire story. It is here where God essentially declares to Abraham; ‘Love me more than that which you love the most.’ This is the place God desires to bring us! In this position we fully realize it has never, ever been about us, but it has always been about Jesus. That is why it is a journey worth taking and why an intelligent person goes.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

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There Are No Contradictions In the Bible…

There Are No Contradictions In the Bible…Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. Genesis 8:20-21

Just Misunderstanding

Compare Genesis 9:21 to Genesis 6:5

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually

It seems as if the rationale given by God for not destroying man (in Genesis 8) is the very reason He gave for mans destruction in Genesis 9. Listen closely and we can almost hear the Bible conspirators chanting in slapdash harmonies, “Contradiction! Contradiction!” Let the suspicious and the disbelieving know that these two verses are not contrary to one another. God is not fickle, He cannot oppose Himself, nor does He ever change His mind.

A Protocol is Established

For our benefit, God communicates His knowledge of mans perpetual sinful nature, the likes of which could not be destroyed by flood waters alone–God had only obliterated that which was beyond restoration. Sin we recall, is the singular thing that separates us from God and He will go on to say of our blood in Genesis 9:5, “I will require.” We now appreciate that without the shedding of blood there is no remission for our sin and take notice of what blessed the Lord’s heart:

And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake…”

Noah sacrificed and God responded. The sacrifice was pleasing to God and for the first time perhaps we see that what took place in chapter 8 did not occur in chapter 6. Therefore, the difference between the two events is that total surrender in the form of sacrifice has been factored into the equation, setting the table for the ultimate in remission of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrews 13:15

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*A Sacrifice of ‘Biblical’ Proportion

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

If you are a Christian there is a very good possibility that you either have this verse highlighted in your Bible, or have it inscribed upon some object or picture in your home. It certainly is a wonderful promise of God, but out of context it might be misleading, for it comes on the heels of Paul’s acclamation to the Philippian church for being persistent givers—the previous sentence speaking of their ‘acceptable sacrifice’ that is ‘pleasing to God.’

What Does ‘Acceptable Sacrifice” Look Like?

This past week I went to the bookstore located on the ‘Focus on the Family‘ campus in Colorado Springs, and was searching for a pocket Bible to purchase. Not finding exactly what I was looking for, I sought the help of an employee standing nearby. Kate (according to her name tag) came to my immediate aid.

As it turns out, the type of Bible I desired was not in stock, but that did not impede Kate. She excused her self for a moment and disappeared into the back room. When she returned she held a Bible in her extended hand.

“Is this what you were looking for?” she asked.

As I reached out to take it from her she added, “I want you to have it. I bought it a while back, but it’s not the one I use. The only problem with it is that my name is engraved on the cover and I wrote in it in a few places.”

Sure enough, there was her name, written in gold on the leather cover, Kate Larimore.

Kate,” I protested, “I can’t take your bible.”

Kate was insistent, so after a few more ‘back-and-forths’, I conceded.

When I returned to my hotel room, I opened my ‘new’ Bible anxious to see what treasures Kate had recorded inside. The words she wrote here-and-there brought a joyful tear to my eye.

On the inside, front page was written: “This HOLY BIBLE presented to,” (and then in Kate’s own handwriting), “Kate Larimore”

From: (and again in her hand), “Jesus Christ, aka Yeshua…her Bridegroom”

DATE: Before the beginning of time!”

I wiped a tear and turned the page.

The words ‘HOLY BIBLE’ appeared once again, but then another hand-written inscription from Kate:

The Holy Bible: the account of God’s refusal to leave us alone.

Amen Kate!

This morning, as I returned to my Bible study, I thought it no coincidence that ‘sacrifice pleasing to God’ was part of the subject matter. I knew I wanted to share about Kate’s generosity and wouldn’t you know it, the Lord provided the scripture lesson.

Related (or unrelated) articles

• Who is Jesus Christ and Why Should I Care? (prweb.com)
• Part Two: Learning to Hear God’s Voice (todaysfreshmanna.wordpress.com)
• The First and the Last: Read first the Jewish Bible, and last the New Testament? (onedaringjew.wordpress.com)
• Reading (revelation217.com)
• Attitude adjustments (jillcobb.wordpress.com)
• May 16 – Daily Post (theinchimdailybiblemeditation.wordpress.com)
• …try, try again. 1 of 3 (gbumcjenw.wordpress.com)
• Faith Child – Lift Jesus higher (ptl2010.com)
• May 15 – Daily Post (theinchimdailybiblemeditation.wordpress.com)

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