Sacrifice as a measure of love! III
I thank the Lord for you and I believe that this day will bring you great blessings in such capacity as you will ponder on the word that God is giving us today.
We are continuing to speak about how our love for God is measured according to our ability to self-sacrifice.
It is not hard to love God – simply think about Him, think about what He does for you every day, and your natural response will be gratefulness. Worshipping God will become a natural thing for those who think about Him and His works. God loves you very much. But, if you live and at the same time do not think about Him, do not see what He does for you, it is hard for you to sacrifice; particularly – it is hard for you to sacrifice your busy daily schedule, your finances, your time, your comfort, because you do not think about Him.
It is easy to worship God for those who think only about Him. Therefore, after Noah experienced rescue in the time when the whole human race was wiped out, and only his family was rescued – Noah’s heart was filled with gratefulness for God, and he sacrificed clean animals.
„Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.”(Genesis 8:20).
It was a sacrifice because Noah was allowed to subsist on clean animals only. God had given a law regarding the animals Noah was allowed to use for food, and these were the animals that he sacrificed to God. Worshipping God was the lifestyle of Noah.
God’s blessings rush after the people who can sacrifice themselves. Ability to self-sacrifice is not only your money, but also your time, your talents, etc.
Ability to self-sacrifice – this is something costly to you, but you let it go for the one that you love.
If you say that you love God, then, what do you sacrifice as a proof of your love for Him? Perhaps you are so busy with everything else that you do not even have time to stop these activities and just sit in His presence to hear Him. And you say that you love God? It is pleasing for God when you build altars to Him every day of your time – it is time for the Lord. It is pleasing for God to hear, when you say pleasant words to Him – not those who were placed in your lips during prayer at church, not those dictated by the circumstances to you, but those that come from your heart. And at this time you do not think about your life, about your problems; you leave all haste, turmoil and think only of Him. And it is the sweet life.
“The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” (Genesis 8:21).
God has feelings. If your only business during the day is to grumble about your life, then it is a stink for God, and it does not attract God, therefore you feel the drought in your life and your church. God is attracted by a pleasing aroma, the sacrifice of worship! Just because one person brought the sacrifice to Him, God has decided to no longer curse and destroy people, but to bless the next generations. Your sacrifice has a noble and profound effect on you and other people.
May your life, filled with selfless love for God and people, be like a pleasing aroma to Him!
With peace of God!
Until tomorrow!
Pastor Rufus Ajiboy
