March 16, 2012
"So when you offer your gift to God at the altar, and you remember that your brother and sister has something against you" (Not as a victim of someone else, but as the aggressor; someone who has pursued selfish desires at the expense others.) When you take your gift and remember what you have done because of your selfish desires, and why people legitimately have something against you, then "leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with that person." Own up to your sin; surrender your life; go fix the damage you have caused in the wake of your actions. Quit blaming others. Quit excusing your decisions and actions. Own up to what you have done. Face the truth about yourself.
God already knows the truth. It is not hidden from Him. Confess your sins. Change your hearts and life... "and then come and offer your gift." THEN God will hear your prayers and THEN you will have forgiveness. THEN you will have peace of mind and contentment of soul. What Christ seeks from us is a heart that is like His. HIS! He doesn't want our offerings, He wants us. He wants us to be like Him and we cannot be like Him when "self" is our god. He wants from us what I wrote about on March 7 - Matthew 5:1–48. He wants a changed heart and life. When He has that—THEN and only then—our offering is an act of giving ourselves to Him as a gift in humble worship of the LORD of ALL. To do otherwise, to give an offering without a changed heart, is an inward slap in the face to God while outwardly confessing Him as LORD.
Psalm 51:17 - "The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin." God wants our obedience FIRST and then our sacrifices.
Next Entry: Fanning the Flame - 2012
"So when you offer your gift to God at the altar, and you remember that your brother and sister has something against you" (Not as a victim of someone else, but as the aggressor; someone who has pursued selfish desires at the expense others.) When you take your gift and remember what you have done because of your selfish desires, and why people legitimately have something against you, then "leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with that person." Own up to your sin; surrender your life; go fix the damage you have caused in the wake of your actions. Quit blaming others. Quit excusing your decisions and actions. Own up to what you have done. Face the truth about yourself.
God already knows the truth. It is not hidden from Him. Confess your sins. Change your hearts and life... "and then come and offer your gift." THEN God will hear your prayers and THEN you will have forgiveness. THEN you will have peace of mind and contentment of soul. What Christ seeks from us is a heart that is like His. HIS! He doesn't want our offerings, He wants us. He wants us to be like Him and we cannot be like Him when "self" is our god. He wants from us what I wrote about on March 7 - Matthew 5:1–48. He wants a changed heart and life. When He has that—THEN and only then—our offering is an act of giving ourselves to Him as a gift in humble worship of the LORD of ALL. To do otherwise, to give an offering without a changed heart, is an inward slap in the face to God while outwardly confessing Him as LORD.
Psalm 51:17 - "The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin." God wants our obedience FIRST and then our sacrifices.
Next Entry: Fanning the Flame - 2012
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