Being a sinner, I know that I need all the help I can get. Christ provides that help.

“¹¹And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ ¹²But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have not need of a physician, but those who are sick.’” – Matthew 9:11-12 (ESV)

When I am sick, I go to the doctor. When I require to know something, I go to the teacher. As I sinner, I go to Christ. Jesus points out to the Pharisees that those in need are those that He should be working with. Not those that “already have” such as the Pharisees themselves.

“¹³Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Matthew 9:13 (ESV)

God does not want my ritualistic ceremonies of sacrifice. He wants my loyalty and to give myself to Him (see Hosea 6:6). God only wants me to follow Him with all of me. And, in return, He will provide that which I need.

As a sinner yourself, are you coming to God? Are you willing to simply give yourself to Him? Will you come to God with loyalty and allow Him to provide for your needs?

As I continue studying sacrifice, I continue to find evidence that sacrifice is not what God is looking for in me.

“⁶For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” – Hosea 6:6 (ESV)

Here God proclaims about the people of Israel and Judah that they spend more time with Him as opposed to ceremonies to Him. “God prefers real participation in the covenant on the part of his people, here expressed as ‘steadfast love’ and ‘knowledge of God’, to the polluted ceremonies of the northern kingdom that ignore these qualities (ESV Commentary).”

I do not have to parade around, displaying to all my religious undertakings. God does not want me to overtly appear to be giving to Him to make sure that all can see. God does not want the empty words from my mouth to fall on those around me.

The only sacrifice God wants of me, is to spend the time with Him, to get to know Him. God wants a relationship with me. God wants me to participate with Him in the growth and discipleship of those around me. I am commanded to simply obey Him and do His will and commune with Him each and every day.

What do you believe God wants from you? Do you wrap yourself up in ceremony to “please” God? Will you embrace that God wants you to participate in a relationship with Him?

This morning I was brought to Psalm 50, to a verse I studied back in November 2017. In fact, I have simply copied my study here and added the thought questions at the bottom.

Thanksgiving sacrifices were certainly part of the Old Covenant, and were “right” under the law.

“¹⁴Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and perform your vows to the Most High, ¹⁵and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” – Psalm 50:14-15

God wants our sacrifices, however he wants them with the right heart. God did not need the sacrifices, only wanted them as a show of devotion to Him. Thanksgiving sacrifices provided an opportunity for us to fellowship with God. In verses 7-13 you see that God already has everything he could want.

Isn’t it our duty to offer to God?

“²³The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” – Psalm 50:23

And look what that duty provides for us.

Thank you God for all of the wonderful things you provide and we ask that you enter our lives and fellowship with us.

When you give glory to God, what is your state? Are you looking to show your devotion to Him? Are you looking to create a reason to fellowship with God through your thanksgiving?

As I read in the Old Testament, I see many references to sacrifices and revere their importance at the time as our savior had not yet come to bear the weight of our sins. And then I come to Psalm 40 this morning.

“⁶In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.” – Psalm 40:6 (ESV)

God required and still requires today, repentance. The sacrifices of the Old Testament were symbols to The Lord of our repentance for at the time we did not have a direct line to God to commune and fellowship. We went through the priests with our gifts to God to repent. Somehow the gravity of the gift (sacrifice) determined the level of forgiveness. Even here in Psalm 40, the sacrifice is deemed less important than the repentance itself.

I still sacrifice today, only not with burnt or sin offerings. I sacrifice with my actions to do that which pleases God. When He asks, it is my responsibility to do and by doing for God, I sacrifice worldly pleasure for myself. It is in the actions that God is pleased and not in what I gave up. He knows what I gave up. I have to remember that the rewards I could receive here in this world are just temporary and mean very little when I think of my eternal rewards in heaven.

“I repent O Lord for where I have failed you. Those places I know and those places I don’t. I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. Lead me in the path to your grace and direct me in the actions that please and bring glory to your name.”

When you are alone with God, are you repenting or are you relying on some sacrifice to represent you? Will you actively seek repentance from God? Sacrifice is not enough, will you take action?

“³O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” – Psalm 5:3 (ESV)

“³In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before you and wait in expectation.” – Psalm 5:3 (NIV)

My role is to bring to God and wait for Him to do His work. I am also tasked with taking up my part when commanded. God needs me to do my part.

I cannot simply ask God to “fix” things and then proceed as if everything will be better. I have work to do to honor the “request” I have placed before God. I must do His work as commanded. Think of the musician that prays for a great performance. God does not pick up the instrument and perform for them. The musician must play and trust that God will provide the means to greatness as they play.

I find it hard to continue working each day when I am doing it on my own without a plan or something to strive for. I have to have a goal to shoot for and something to accomplish. God gives me that something. I have given my life to the Lord to do His will and that is enough for me. I still “request” His guidance, and then take up the work. My actions speak louder than my words and therefore I must continue.

Lord, I give my request to you and ask for your continued guidance today, tomorrow, and always.

Are you praying and waiting? Are you forgetting the last part of doing the work? Will you continue the work that you have committed to God and are you praying for guidance with that work?

We all make mistakes and for those mistakes it is good to repent and ask for forgiveness. I know that each morning I ask God to forgive me for where I have failed. And, as God, I know that He loves and appreciates and honors my request for that forgiveness.

I will say that God would much prefer that I simply not make the mistakes and need the forgiveness. Sometimes the mistakes are mine and I have made them as I have disobeyed Him. If I would have just done as I commanded, my need for forgiveness would not have been.

“²²And Samuel Said, ‘Has 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, and to listen than the fat of rams. ²³For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.’” – 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (ESV)

Saul was instructed to completely wipe out any remnants of Amalek, including all livestock. Saul elected to spare the best of the livestock and planned to use as a sacrifice to God as a thank you for the great victory that was given. The sacrifice was in honor of God and Saul though he was doing the right thing. But, his disobedience, was not accepted by God. God simply wanted Saul to obey.

I do not get to make the rules in how much I obey. When given a task by God, I must simply obey to please God. Can I ask and plead to do another way or perform another task? Yes, and God is willing to listen and give me the chance to plead my case. But once the decision is made, I am held to completion. I must obey.

When you find yourself with a task to complete, do you find yourself trying to only complete what you want? What about asking for forgiveness and repenting for not completing as instructed? Wouldn’t it be just easier to obey and not have to repent?

This morning I read “The Nazirite Vow” from Numbers 6. Now I am aware of the importance of a vow and what it represents. The taking of and completion of a vow demonstrates commitment to that which is vowed, and serves as reminder to the stance taken.

I follow with this, I am certainly glad Christ died to satisfy all that would be considered for staying holy with this vow. All of the sacrificing of ewes, lambs, rams, grain, and drink are difficult to keep up with. Even cases that are out of our control like in verse 9 are difficult to manage.

“⁹And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it.” – Numbers 6:9 (ESV)

If someone were to die next to me without warning, I would be defiled. Now that would be difficult to remember and consider as I continue with my vow.

I want to reiterate that I understand the vow and the reason for them, and I do not want to discredit anyone that chooses to take one. I will say again, I am glad that Christ died for me to satisfy the need for me to take such a vow.

I have given my life to Christ and He is asking for me to simply Love and to go and make disciples. In return, He has forgiven all of my sins (known and unknown) and has prepared a place in heaven for me to reside when my time here is done.

What have you been doing to earn your way? Are you aware of the love and sacrifice provided for YOU? Are you glad of the sacrifice given by Christ?

How often have I heard the phrase, “what have you done for me lately”. This is looking at the actions of today as opposed to looking at the actions of yesterday or into the future.

“⁵When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. ⁶It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire.” – Leviticus 19:5-6 (ESV)

When I read these verses, I though of the phrase from the first sentence I wrote this morning. I have to stay rooted in the present to be sure that I focus on the Lord’s work. I can plan for the future, and learn from the past, but I have to stay in the present.

God told Moses to speak with the Israelites and give them this message related to sacrifices. Taking myself to God should be a daily occurrence and not left to the once or twice per year or, only when I feel like I have committed a big misgiving. God is here for me now and wants me to commune with him daily.

In my commune with God, He forgives my sins and refreshes my soul. I am able to put the past “behind” me and look to the future with positive anticipation. When I have spent my daily time with God, I am able to focus on pleasing Him and everything else is able to be washed away or minimized into something manageable for me to take care of tomorrow.

When you look at your actions, where are you focused? Are you looking at today, tomorrow, yesterday? What if you gave everything to God today and focused on Him and allowed Him to take care of it all?

I believe sometimes the word sacrifice loses its meaning.

Sacrifice: “to suffer loss of, give up, renounce, injure, or destroy especially for an ideal, belief, or end” – Merriam-Webster Online

They ate unleavened bread for 7 days to the point that if they did eat, they were cut off.

“¹⁵Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.” – Exodus 12:15 (ESV)

What a state of affairs, and look at the sacrifice, remove the leaven completely from the home so as to make sure there was no backsliding.

And then there was the sacrifice of a lamb. And the blood of the lamb was to be spread on the doorpost of the home. Would I have done such a thing? What about today, would I sacrifice the way people look at me by spreading blood on my doorpost?

“²⁶And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ ²⁷you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for e passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.” – Exodus 12:26-27 (ESV)

I remember the passover and I remember the lamb sacrifice at that time, but do I really put it all together the sacrifice to God for the sake of my forgiveness?

What about you, do you remember? Are you aware of the sacrifice that was realized at that time? What about today, would you sacrifice as they did?

In today’s society contracts are sealed with papers and lawyers and filings and all other sorts of legal actions. In the day of Jacob, there was a sacrifice to God.

“⁵³The God of Abraham and God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.’ So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac, ⁵⁴and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country.” – Genesis 31:53-54 (ESV)

Jacob had been pursued by Laban for 7 days for what Laban believed to be true. In the interest of trust and integrity, Jacob allowed Laban to search his tents and belonging for what he believed to be true. When Laban was unable to confirm what he believed to be true, he and Jacob had a discussion, and I stress the word discussion, to hash some things out.

After the discussion was completed Jacob and Laban had come to an agreement and that was sealed a covenant, and then Jacob sacrificed to God to seal the deal. The deal was sealed in front of the kinsmen of both Jacob and Laban as witnesses to the deal, with the truest of witnesses being God.

The sacrifice was to God as the sealing of the covenant between two men. I have to think what are we doing in the world today when we have to file papers, motions, legal documents, and the like to come to an agreement on even the smallest of items. Why are we not able to simply have a hand shake before God to seal the deal? (Trust that I am not completely naive.)

I wonder how much more dedicated to the deal we would be when simply realizing that with every deal, God is watching? And what if we realized that our handshake is our sacrifice of honor to the deal that God is watching over and witness? I have witness with many “deals” that before the ink is even dry, someone is working to find the loophole when what everyone should be looking at is how to continue to honor the deal.

What are some deals that have happened around you that could have been hashed out and sealed with a simple handshake? Have you found yourself looking for the loophole? What if we believed in the sacrifice before God to seal the deal?