2/28/21

"And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen. or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD." (Leviticus 22:21-22)
I read about offerings in my A. M. reading assignment, this morning. God's Word reminded me that only my best will be good enough.
In the Old Testament, people were required to make sacrifices for their sin. When they brought their offering, it was to be without any blemishes.
God would one day send His Son into the world to be the sacrifice for our sins, and He would be perfect, without any blemishes. God would send the very best to take away our sin.
You and I, thankfully, do not bring a sacrificial animal to the Lord's house to make an atonement for our sin. Jesus has taken our sin from us. His sacrifice was forever enough to do the job of salvation!
But, we still make offerings to God.
1) We give money to the church, to further God's work on earth.
2) We attend services, to worship the Lord, and show our gratitude.
3) We participate in projects of caring and ministering unto others.
4) We use our talents to promote the kingdom of God on earth.
When we do these things, we should do them as best as we can. They should be a sacrifice!
Nothing that we do half-heartedly is a fitting sacrifice to the Lord. We should never offer to God what is left-over, or of no value.
I can just see that old Hebrew farmer coming into the house, and saying to his wife, "Well, that old ram is about on his last leg. He's so old he can't hardly eat anymore. And you know that he's blind in one eye. He'd be too tough to try to eat. So, I guess I'll take him to the temple, and offer him on the altar of sacrifice. At least I won't have to drag him off, and let the buzzards have him."
I know that sounds kind of comical. But we need to be careful not to make that kind of offering to the Lord.
God deserves our very beat.
From my heart to your heart.