Read today's song of praise by opening up the link above or your Bible.
What I want instead is your true thanks to God;
I want you to fulfill
your vows to the Most High.
Psalm 50:14 NLT
In the Old Testament, the sacrifice for sin for God's people was provided by an animal: a sheep, a bull or a bird. Jesus changed that by becoming the perfect
sacrifice, shedding His blood on our behalf.
That makes things different for us... or does it?
As is human nature, people get caught up in the ritual
and forget its meaning. Imagine an Old Testament Jew at the temple bringing his sacrifice, he thinks: "Yes, I paid for
the animal; yes, I waited in line for the priest to slaughter it and pronounce
me clean. But all the while I was hungry
and thinking about lunch... sorry. It’s
just we do this every year and it’s only a necessary routine, right? Something God requires."
It brings to mind two rituals we have in the church today. Tithing and the Lord's Supper.
- Tithing: God doesn’t need our money. He owns a thousand cattle on a thousand hills. What he wants from us is a sacrificial gift that expresses our grateful, thankful, overwhelmed-by-His-love heart.
- Communion: We hear the words, we say the prayer, we come forward to partake of the bread and wine. A ritual... a reminder... of the over-the-top sacrifice made for us. But, are we really listening and absorbing the text? Do we understand what God has truly done for us? Are we drifting into "same-old-same-old" and thinking where we are going for lunch after church? Or is there true worship in this sacrament?
But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
Psalm 50:23 NLT
Take a moment to consider how your actions regarding tithing and communion reflect your heart, your gratitude to God for all He has done for you... for us.
O Lord, forgive me for every time my worship was disconnected from my heart. Convict me. Stir afresh a fire in my soul for what You've done for me.
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