Worship That Permeates
Time passed. Cain brought an offering to God from the produce of his farm. Abel also brought an offering, but from the firstborn animals of his herd, choice cuts of meat. God liked Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering didn't get his approval. Cain lost his temper and went into a sulk. (Gen. 4:3-5 MSG)
How wonderful it is when God smiles on our offering, and how painful when He does not. Have you ever given something to someone that was not received with "respect?" (respect is the word the King James Bible uses in this passage) Was the gift truly worthy of the respect you thought it deserved? Was it really a sacrifice?
In our culture, today, this is frowned upon and considered unacceptable. We are told to be "open-minded" and "accepting" of every gift someone has to offer, provided it is within the confines of the law. In reality, this is not at all what the Bible teaches, nor is there a Biblical concession to justify it.
Much to the contrary, when the gift is not a true sacrifice or when it is given out of selfish ambition, God turns His back on the gift and the giver. We really don't like to hear that, though...it messes with our good ol' American way of "accepting everything and everyone." We like to blur the lines between the two verbs "respect" and "accept."
King David understood this truth when it was time for him to make a sacrifice. He absolutely refused to give to God "cheap" sacrifices, or gifts that he did not even pay for. (1 Chronicles 21:22-28) To do this, he had to reject a gift from a king! Can you imagine the Queen of England offering Northside Christian Church one of her Rolls Royce automobiles to sell and use the money for ministry...and then turning it down because it was not really a sacrifice? Is it a struggle for us to acknowledge the truth of this passage of Scripture?
Truth is, God never promised His Word would be easy or digestible. He did promise that He would change our lives with the truth of the gospel, though. And our responsibility is to take up our cross, daily...to sacrifice ourselves at every opportunity. The book of Hebrews tells us that
And so, I would ask you the same: Do you agree with this interpretation? Why or why not? What are you doing to make this a reality in your life, if you agree with these words?"
Comments? Click the comments link below and tell us what you think.
In our culture, today, this is frowned upon and considered unacceptable. We are told to be "open-minded" and "accepting" of every gift someone has to offer, provided it is within the confines of the law. In reality, this is not at all what the Bible teaches, nor is there a Biblical concession to justify it.
Much to the contrary, when the gift is not a true sacrifice or when it is given out of selfish ambition, God turns His back on the gift and the giver. We really don't like to hear that, though...it messes with our good ol' American way of "accepting everything and everyone." We like to blur the lines between the two verbs "respect" and "accept."
King David understood this truth when it was time for him to make a sacrifice. He absolutely refused to give to God "cheap" sacrifices, or gifts that he did not even pay for. (1 Chronicles 21:22-28) To do this, he had to reject a gift from a king! Can you imagine the Queen of England offering Northside Christian Church one of her Rolls Royce automobiles to sell and use the money for ministry...and then turning it down because it was not really a sacrifice? Is it a struggle for us to acknowledge the truth of this passage of Scripture?
Truth is, God never promised His Word would be easy or digestible. He did promise that He would change our lives with the truth of the gospel, though. And our responsibility is to take up our cross, daily...to sacrifice ourselves at every opportunity. The book of Hebrews tells us that
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased" (Heb. 13:15-16 NIV).The Hebrew author seems to imply that true worship (that which is in Spirit and in truth) should simply "flow" out of everything I do and in all the relationships I make. I have to ask myself, "Do I agree with this interpretation?" And, "What am I doing to make it a reality in my life?"
And so, I would ask you the same: Do you agree with this interpretation? Why or why not? What are you doing to make this a reality in your life, if you agree with these words?"
Comments? Click the comments link below and tell us what you think.
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