“You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”
Our hearts are to be “broken and repentant”, as well as our spirit. We must come before God with a humble and sincere heart, for He looks upon our heart to determine our motives. To do the will of God is to follow the charted course He has laid out for you. The only way to know God’s will for you is to get to KNOW Him thru the reading of scripture, hearing His word preached and taught, thru prayer and so on. Prayer is a mighty weapon against the enemy AND is a wonderful tool to achieve God’s goals for us. Take the time to know God as well as you can. His will for you is always designed to benefit you and never harm you. That is a decision YOU must make. Will you trust God over your own thoughts and feelings or are you going to insist on doing things your own way. Many people have a very difficult time humbling themselves to the point of following someone else, but it is possible with the proper instruction from on high. Being humble is defined as being “marked by modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful.” Taking on the characteristics of Jesus Christ will accomplish that. While we may be broken people, our repentant heart need not be broken. Allow the balm of the Lord to heal your broken and contrite heart.
Sacrifice can be more ritualistic in nature when it comes to spiritual things. The Lord doesn’t want us to do things out of ritualistic obedience, as in something we feel we HAVE to do to win His favor, but rather out of heartfelt gratitude for that which He has done for us. Our appreciation should come from a thankful heart, which causes us to willingly want to please God. We follow Christ because we WANT TO and not because we feel we HAVE TO. God is NOT a dictator or tyrant that demands anything from us. However, He does DESIRE for us to WANT TO spend time with Him for no other reason than the fact that He is worth the time spent WITH Him. It should be no sacrifice to spend time with God. The TV can wait. The party can wait. Nothing this side of heaven is worthy of our time more than time spent with our Heavenly Father. It shouldn’t be a sacrifice to pray or attend church or search the scriptures. We should have a hunger and desire to know the Lord as well as He can be known. Listen for His Holy Spirit that is within you. Discern what is His spirit and what is your own desire. Know His will for your life. It’s not a secret that God hides from you. It is your spiritual destiny. It is what is available from God to you to take you to places wants you to do. But obedience isn’t just about you. It’s about others. Those you know and already care about and those who are strangers to you, yet need to know that which you know, spiritually speaking. Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His Name & for His Glory,
RL Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
All definitions are taken from the American Heritage Dictionary.
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