28/07/2020
DIGGING DEEP – TUESDAY 28-JUL-2020
BY: Bro Ben Ekwere.
Theme for the Month: ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP
Today’s Topic: SACRIFICIAL GIVING, HIS WORSHIP & HIS BLESSINGS
Anchor Text: Rom 12:1-2
There are two key words in the text: Worship and Sacrifice:
1. Worship has been defined as the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. Feeling is abstract; expression is action. IF YOU FEEL SOMETHING, YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO EXPRESS THAT FEELING. Without action, the feeling is virtually useless. The bible explains this in James 2:26 when it says without works, faith is dead, being alone. While we are justified by faith, our faith is justified by our works. If one says he loves God, such an individual would obey God and begin to walk in His ways, becoming more like Him and thus, bringing forth fruits of the Holy Spirit. Those are the works of faith we are referring to. For God so loved [feeling] the world, that he gave [action] His only begotten son…[John 3:16]. God expressed His love towards us; He gave us something marvellous and priceless, such that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. So worship and sacrifice are closely knitted.
2. Talking about sacrifice… there is no way you sacrifice something without giving up what you love so much. Sacrifice is costly, whether it is in currency or it is in kind. David said I will not give to the lord what costs me nothing [2 Samuel 24:24].
Sacrificial giving as a mark of worship is always followed by the blessings of the Lord.
When you give, you receive; When you make acceptable sacrifice, God responds. When the sweet-smelling aroma of our worship and sacrifice rise up to heaven, God’s blessings come down in return.
• Remember these Bible Characters – Abraham, Hannah, Solomon…
• In Gen 17, Abraham offered his only son of promise to God, and God responded with more children even in his lifetime. After the death of Sarah, Abraham took another wife, Keturah, by whom he had six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah [Gen 25:1-2].
• Hannah, supposedly barren, incessantly ridicule and scorned by her mates, made a deal with God. In 1 Sam 1:20,28 Hannah asked for only a son, which she gave [as promised] back to God. She was satisfied with the deal, but God had a surprise for her. Because of that SACRIFICIAL GIVING, Eli announced another blessing on Hannah, and she conceived 3 more sons and 2 daughters, making six in total [1 Sam 2:20-21].
• Solomon gave a thousand burnt offering and God paid him a visit and gave him an ‘open cheque’ – “Ask whatever you want’ [1 Kings 3:4-5]. Then Solomon pushed further and sacrificed 22,000 oxen + 120,000 sheep and God responded in like manner, stamping his Name, His authority and his presence on King Solomon’s kingdom and the tabernacle that he built [1 Kings 8:63; 9:2-3].
• You may say you don’t have riches to give like Solomon did. God is not interested in the numbers. He is interested in the attitude. What would your attitude be if you had to sacrifice your best or you last meal or your last dime? Would you let go cheerfully? Remember also the widow with the last meal and the one with the last dime? Cf 1 Kings 17:12; Luke 21:4.
Finally, brethren, he enjoins us in Eph 5:1-2, our lives must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God. in other words, our life of love must bring out some sacrifice or sort, making us give up what we hold dear. In preserving our bodies and our hearts from not conforming to this world, we become a testimony that indeed “we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing [2 Cor 2:15].
Prayers:
i. Father, thank you for all that you have given me; thank you for the ultimate gift: your son Jesus Christ, who m you gave to die and save us all.
ii. Father, forgive me if I ever paid lip-service to the faith I profess without taking actions to demonstrate it.
iii. Father, give us the grace to give sacrificially so as to move your hand to perform the mighty miracles our world so dearly needs.
iv. Thank you father for your Word. They are light and they are life to me. In Jesus Name we have prayed.