Are you offering sacrifices worthy of God?

 31 May 26

Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One

Readings:

2 Chronicles 1

2 Chronicles 2

2 Chronicles 3

John 12:1-19

Now Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1). 

Are you offering sacrifices worthy of God?

A command is given to Abraham centuries before the erecting of the Temple. God said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). Two millennia later, another offering would be given in this same location now called Calvary. Yet the sacrifice of Jesus would not be halted. Mary offers a sacrifice in preparation for the death of Jesus just days before his crucifixion. She “took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, [and] anointed the feet of Jesus” (John 12:3). The price of her sacrifice would equal one year’s pay for the average day laborer. Like Abraham, Solomon, and Mary, offer sacrifices worthy of our King! 

Employment Point: Honor Jesus with sacrifices worthy of His great sacrifice.

————————-

Reflections

“Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?””2 Chronicles‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• This is truly something that everyone of us should ask of God as we ourselves definitely do not have the wisdom and knowledge to deal with everything but our Almighty Lord has as He also promised us that if we asked Him for wisdom, He will give. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5

““Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided.”2 Chronicles‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• it is good to always ask for help and not try to do everything ourselves. We each are given a special gift. So it’s good that we exercise our gifts and share our gifts as a body of Christ

“Solomon took a census of all the foreigners residing in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.”2 Chronicles‬ ‭2‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• I can imagine how extensive this work is going to be, requiring such a big number of people that is definitely rare for even any big projects. 

“The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide (using the cubit of the old standard).”

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• This is the rough size of the Tennis Court: It is slightly smaller than a standard doubles tennis court

“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.””John‬ ‭12‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• Sometimes we also have to make such decisions, to choose Jesus over what is common. 

“Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.”John‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• to think that the chief priests are supposed to be doing good works, they are here plotting evil- surely not glorifying to God.
• For us, it is important that we try to understand our actions and intentions. Seek to glorify the Lord and not ourselves. More of Him and less of us. It is good that people are seeking Him and not their own names or seeking attention.

“At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• A lot of times we don’t understand the things that happened because its not yet time for us to know. But the Holy Spirit of revelation will reveal to us in due time what it is all about. Trust in the Lord. He doesn’t do things without a purpose.

Sometimes, we ought to ask ourselves if we do offer sacrifices worthy of His great sacrifice, or are we giving Him only the remnants after we pay or give our money or efforts for other things. Do we offer Him our best or our leftovers? Do we honour Him first or put Him at the last place?

————————-

Put God First

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

May 31

Jesus did not commit Himself to them…for He knew what was in man. —John 2:24-25

Put Trust in God First. Our Lord never put His trust in any person. Yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, and never lost hope for anyone, because He put His trust in God first. He trusted absolutely in what God’s grace could do for others. If I put my trust in human beings first, the end result will be my despair and hopelessness toward everyone. I will become bitter because I have insisted that people be what no person can ever be— absolutely perfect and right. Never trust anything in yourself or in anyone else, except the grace of God.

Put God’s Will First. “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God” (Hebrews 10:9).

A person’s obedience is to what he sees to be a need— our Lord’s obedience was to the will of His Father. The rallying cry today is, “We must get to work! The heathen are dying without God. We must go and tell them about Him.” But we must first make sure that God’s “needs” and His will in us personally are being met. Jesus said, “…tarry…until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). The purpose of our Christian training is to get us into the right relationship to the “needs” of God and His will. Once God’s “needs” in us have been met, He will open the way for us to accomplish His will, meeting His “needs” elsewhere.

Put God’s Son First. “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (Matthew 18:5).

God came as a baby, giving and entrusting Himself to me. He expects my personal life to be a “Bethlehem.” Am I allowing my natural life to be slowly transformed by the indwelling life of the Son of God? God’s ultimate purpose is that His Son might be exhibited in me.

2 Chronicles 13-14; John 12:1-26

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The Bible is the only Book that gives us any indication of the true nature of sin, and where it came from.

———————

Reflections

We need to learn to be like Jesus. Not just when he was an adult but also when he was a baby, a kid and while growing up. He knew His identity and He knows His purposes in life. Do we know our identity and our purposes in life?

Even though He is fully God, He is also fully human. He has to fully rely on His parents in order to grow up. Yet He will only choose to do His father’s will and not men’s. It is fully surrendering, including relying fully on God and not men.

Let’s pray:

May we all be able to be like baby Jesus. Relying our everything on Him alone. Help us to come into the right relationship with You and not to be affected by the environment or anyone else. In Jesus’s name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻