Isaiah 1:11-15, says extensively, "What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?" says the LORD. ..."When you come to appear before Me ...bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies ---I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, they have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. ..."
I Samuel 15:22, says, " ...Hath 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 ..."
All this was when they were required to sacrifice, before the sacrifice that Jesus willingly did for us ...as He died for us. Jesus is our Lord, and has shown us the most absolute expression of love. And He showed the apostles what it all means ...and the motive they must have, as the motivation of their heart. This is shared in 2 Corinthians 9:7, "Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver."
Yet, is our cheer the most important??
Jesus speaks of one who without hesitation, in all likelihood cheerfully said, "I will go."
We read of what Jesus said about this in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 21, verses 28-31: "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 'I will not!' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he didn't go. Which of the two did the will of his father.'"
They answered Jesus, "The first."
Of course Jesus would have us be cheerful, but not at the expense of not doing what He wants us to do.
I can give many examples of why, but mainly it is not about us, but our focus needs to be on Him. It is never my actions as a Christian that becomes the standard ...Jesus has set the standard. I am like every other ...a sinner.
I am not a total grump, nor am I going to get any awards for 'most cheerful'. I do not want to water down the truth, nor help lessen the perception of the standard. It is with me that the error lies, not with the standard. His Word seeks to change me ...not me attempting to change the Word.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I will attempt to tell a short story ...very short.
Here goes:
Mr. & Mrs. James had a son whom they wanted to grow up proper. They didn't exactly know what proper was ...but they thought they would start with their name. Everyone always had to ask twice what their name was ...because they figured they misunderstood. They felt their last name, James, was a first name ...or even a middle name, but not a last name. Of course, there was nothing wrong with James being a last name, it was just that everyone almost always associated it with Jesse James. They thought the best way to draw attention away from any perception of that ...was to give their son a good first name, setting him apart from others. So, for a first name they gave him a common last name ...they gave him the first name of, Hamilton.
Hamilton James seemed to be very happy. Things just seemed to come natural for him, and he was very good at a lot of things. He was handy around the house, yet he proved also to be a handful. Though he was good at most everything he did, he did not want to do everything. And often what he felt he wanted to do, he quickly lost interest in.
Hamilton was so interested in getting a dog. His parents said that he could get a dog, with the condition that he had to take care of all the tasks necessary with a dog. And Hamilton happily agreed.
Hamilton soon decided that he didn't like cleaning up after his dog, Happy. And Happy wasn't making Hamilton very happy. He didn't particularly like cleaning up after Happy's squatting activity. So, Hamilton decided that he'd make a schedule when he'd take Happy out. There were several acres of woods a half mile from their house, but he decided that was too far ...he had other things on his mind. The easy way was to sneak out, and let Happy squat on the neighbor's lawn.
This went unnoticed for quite some time, but then Hamilton was found out. Mr. & Mrs. James were not much for confronting any issue ...but they felt they were clever enough to usually come up with a better way. They talked to the neighbor, and agreed that perhaps they should arrange for Hamilton to take care of mowing the neighbor's grass.
The first time Hamilton mowed the grass, he got quite frustrated, as the wheels of the mower began to slip in certain areas hidden within the thick grass. Mr. & Mrs. James saw that immediately their son was taking Happy towards the woods, not in the neighbor's yard ...and they smiled at each other, very satisfied with the wisdom of their choice on how to deal with the matter.
What his parents didn't know ...was that Hamilton was not taking Happy to the woods. As soon as he got around the corner, Hamilton let Happy squat on an old widow's yard. Everyone knew her as the oldest one in the neighborhood ...in recent years she had been lavished by several dozen people from a local church celebrating her 100th birthday.
Mr. & Mrs. James had felt their son, Hamilton, had learned to respect others ...but, their plan to teach him the values they wished to instill, had not left its mark. Hamilton had used his creativity and genius once more in a way which was not intended.
It may be difficult to grasp at my meaning, but though the parents had hoped to keep their son busy with good things to instill a heart for more good ...in sort of a way, the Old Testament sacrifices, with specificity and detail, were to assist in providing a proper focus. So, in doing that specific one thing right, being often like Hamilton and not allowing it to influence a change from wayward ways ...brings us to no real inner change.
Parents spend an intense amount of their child's childhood instructing them how to act. When their children become adults, parents often feel they shouldn't have to tell them anymore. And it leaves no good feeling if they can no longer ignore it ...an do say something.
God said He was sick of their sacrifices ...and He just wanted them to obey.
Beyond obeying He wants to transform us ...to be cheerful, to do what He would have us do, and to want to do it.
God wants to save us ...from the inevitable that becomes what we have created. As is often said, we must be saved from ourselves. God would that none would perish. But, in doing so, we are to agree that the truth of His Word not perish.
The Word is to transform us ...we are not to transform the Word. I often ask my wife to help edit things I write, and she is kind with her restraint not to be so thorough as to edit my mistakes to the point of reducing my writing to nothingness. God does not need an editor ...there is nothing that could be changed without making it less God.
There are a couple Bible verses which state that very danger ...evident then, and also tragically true today.
Isaiah 5:20, reads, "Woe unto them who call evil good, and good evil; who confuse darkness for light, and light for darkness; who portray bitter as sweet, and sweet as bitter."
2 Timothy, Chapter 3 begins rather directly, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come ..." And it is quite thorough ...which upon reaching a dozen listed items, I saw the word 'incontinent'. I imagined myself getting old, and embarking upon a perilous voyage within my own hospital bed ...while a nurse barks, "He did it again!"
But, the actual verse ends with " ...lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof ..."
- Power
- Privilege
- Principle
Lacking in it, under the influence of it, or guided by it ...we usually favor one of the three. Or we could feel we don't have much choice ...under the influence of someone's power, lacking privilege, and living within a society whose aim is to redefine, diminish, or destroy principles.
What is the discussion, the disagreement ...which often becomes the argument? And what is at the root of the argument ...the part which fuels it, and continues to help the unhealthy spread of it??
Is part of the problem the fact that we don't want to admit things are not quite what they should be?? Do we make complacency our friend, and hide behind our favorite verses, not really having a desire to discuss the Bible, but using verses we've heard to repeat them to our advantage. How many times have you heard the verse, "Judge not, lest ye be judged."??
We seldom hear, "And why do you draw attention to the sliver in your brother's eye, but consider not the log that is in your own eye?" But, there is similar meaning ...and both spoken by Jesus.
True ...there are probably enough logs in our own eyes to build a duplicate of the ark that was built in Noah's day. Yet, we seem to more easily attempt to discredit events like the great Flood ...because it seems, in doing so, we find it easier to ignore that which we find most difficult to accept. And admittedly so, we do like to float out own ideas.
What do we easily accept, and what do we attempt to ignore??
We accept Jesus ...but, we often try to ignore what He said. And with that, we also try to ignore what His disciples later said.
How would we respond if Jesus soon returned??
Do we create an image in our mind how He would be??
When Jesus returns, the Bible states that He will rule on earth for a thousand years. How do we view that will be like??
And if so many of us are eager for His return, who would not be?? And if they are not eager, nor immediately happy upon His return, wouldn't a thousand years under His rule convince everyone how wonderful that is??
Yet, the Book of Revelation states that after the thousand years of Jesus ruling on earth, the nations will be deceived and will gather together to do battle against God's people.
Don't think the deception is not happening right now. Don't be deceived into not believing the Bible is the Word of God. And it is difficult to look to Jesus if we can't see Him ...that is, for who He is.
Yes, we can be against war ...yet, those who battle against God's people, have waged a war. Everyone doesn't win in a war. some people would say that everyone loses in a war ...but, not this final war. There will be a clear winner.
And the winner's side is made up of those who believe Jesus died for us, and that He is our Lord. God wants us on His side, not so He can win ...because He will win, with or without us. He wants us on His side, so we can win.
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So, let's get back to the view of sacrifice. We do sacrifice to different extents for the good of better society ...though we may even be involved to various aspects in bad society, and all that aside, the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus is truly the only thing that is the defining moment.
From sacrifice, we saw how God said He preferred obedience. Aside from our usual perception of obedience ...what obedience does, is establish the acceptance of our standing and our loyalty. Secondly, depending upon our attitude ...and our degree to which we obey, it helps establish our motivation for obedience. If we cheerfully obey, it more readily shows perhaps that we align our beliefs with our actions. And thirdly, there is also a major statement about the one whom we obey. When we glorify the One whom we should, we are representing Him accurately.
That third point is so crucial. I know I am to own my own responsibility ...but, I am not also responsible for anyone else's. Yet, at the same time, neither do I want to be a pawn and contribute to the denial and deceit. No, none of us get everything right, but it is important to get this right ...that God reveals truth to us in His Word, and Jesus is who He said He is. He is the Son of God, also proclaimed from above, by the Father, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
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http://loveisnotdefinedbyus.blogspot.com/
http://doweworshipthesamesupremebeing.blogspot.com/
http://isitamatteroftruthorconsequences.blogspot.com/
http://astrongdelusionthattheymaybelievealie.blogspot.com/
http://jackspratcouldeatnofatsoishesaved.blogspot.com/
*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*
So, let's get back to the view of sacrifice. We do sacrifice to different extents for the good of better society ...though we may even be involved to various aspects in bad society, and all that aside, the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus is truly the only thing that is the defining moment.
From sacrifice, we saw how God said He preferred obedience. Aside from our usual perception of obedience ...what obedience does, is establish the acceptance of our standing and our loyalty. Secondly, depending upon our attitude ...and our degree to which we obey, it helps establish our motivation for obedience. If we cheerfully obey, it more readily shows perhaps that we align our beliefs with our actions. And thirdly, there is also a major statement about the one whom we obey. When we glorify the One whom we should, we are representing Him accurately.
That third point is so crucial. I know I am to own my own responsibility ...but, I am not also responsible for anyone else's. Yet, at the same time, neither do I want to be a pawn and contribute to the denial and deceit. No, none of us get everything right, but it is important to get this right ...that God reveals truth to us in His Word, and Jesus is who He said He is. He is the Son of God, also proclaimed from above, by the Father, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
*****************************************************************************************
http://loveisnotdefinedbyus.blogspot.com/
http://doweworshipthesamesupremebeing.blogspot.com/
http://isitamatteroftruthorconsequences.blogspot.com/
http://astrongdelusionthattheymaybelievealie.blogspot.com/
http://jackspratcouldeatnofatsoishesaved.blogspot.com/
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