Temptation 5

Romans10:11-13

The pastor at our church when I was a teen-ager once told the story of a man who put his young son on top of a table and coaxed him to jump into his arms.  He kept telling the boy he would catch him, and after some time the boy finally jumped.  The father let his son fall to the floor and then told him, “Never trust anyone, not even your own father.”

It is a terrible story – hopefully, not true – about the cynicism so many can have in life.  We may fear that we are completely alone in life, facing temptations and troubles without the benefit of anyone who cares.

We must remember the comfort Paul offers in this passage.  What does Scripture (Isaiah 28:16) tell us?  What is God’s attitude toward all people?

Temptation can be very hard to resist.  When confronted with one of the greatest temptations – the desire to take care of ourselves first – it is difficult to have an attitude of self-sacrifice.  We may fear that we will fall and there will be no one there to catch us.  It can be so difficult to trust that if we are giving we will also receive.

But if we can take on an attitude of sacrifice, an attitude of putting God first in our lives and trusting in the eternal presence of the Lord, then we can be blessed in our lives.  God will be there to catch us if we fall.  He will be there to pick us up when we stumble in our walk of faith.  And He will be there to strengthen us as we face the temptations of life.

With God as our first concern, with God as the center of our focus we will never be dismayed or put to shame.  It doesn’t matter who we are, whether we are the strong Christians we are supposed to be, the ones who have just begun a journey to perfection, or those who doubt and fear.  God is ready to bless us all.

We must learn to call on the name of the Lord.  We must be willing to make God our dwelling.  We must place the Lord at the center of our heart to guide us and direct us in our lives, and to be that ever-present source of strength and comfort.

DAILY CHALLENGE:  What will help you take a leap of faith for God?

Temptation 4

Deuteronomy26:10-12

Where does your money go when you contribute to your place of worship?  Does it simply vanish into the pastor’s salary?  What about all the time and effort you give?  Is it wasted time and energy?

Of course, the answer is that anything you give to God is not wasted.  The money you contribute works to maintain the church and all of its ministries.  Your money is converted into salaries, yes, but it is also used to keep the building functioning as well as outreach to help the needy.  The efforts you put into your place of worship also help to spread the love of God to all the world.

In our modern society we do not always recognize the results of contributing our first-fruits.  Continuing in Deuteronomy 26 with God’s commands about giving to the temple we see where these offerings go.  What should the faithful giver say and do?  Who is involved in the celebration of honoring God?

As with the gift in ancient Israel, which was a tangible and visible gift, the receiving of the gift was just as apparent.  The person presenting the offering of first-fruits was to declare that the gift was intended to honor and thank God for all that the Lord had provided.  The giver was to bow down before the Lord.

But the act of giving didn’t end there.  The gift was given directly to the Levite (priest) and also to the alien, the foreigner and needy widows and families.  The implication is that the person giving the gift was able to witness the benefit of the offering and also, perhaps, join in on the feasting and the celebration.

Although we do not always have such a direct contact with the benefits of our giving we must trust that what is offered to honor and thank and praise God is being used to demonstrate God’s love.  Our gifts become expressions of the Lord’s care and grace.  The gifts we offer go out in many different ways to build up the kingdom of God.

Rather than give with hesitation and reluctance we should resist the temptation to keep all that we have for ourselves and instead give sacrificially with the knowledge that we are part of God’s love and compassion to the world.

DAILY CHALLENGE:  Can you see where your gifts benefit others?

Temptation 3

Deuteronomy26:1-3

We are called on to honor God, to make Him our dwelling place and our refuge.  But how do we go about doing that?  We can wonder how it is we are supposed to give honor to God, to submit to Him and show Him that we love the Lord.

For the Israelites who were led from Egypt, taken from a place of bondage and possible abuse to a new land, a place that God had promised them, the task was simple.  What were the faithful instructed to do?  How does this translate into our modern situation?

For the people entering into Israel, the Promised Land, the act of honoring God was fairly straightforward.  They were to take their first-fruits – literally, the best of their crops and their animals – put them in a basket and take them to the priest at the temple.  This was a tangible and visible expression of gratitude to God.  It was an observable action that demonstrated obedience to God.

These people in this agrarian society, a people who survived primarily through the raising of crops and livestock, were to take the best of what they had and sacrifice it to God.  They had to resist the temptation of providing for themselves with their best crops and their best livestock.  It was to be given away to God.

In that way they demonstrated their trust and gratitude toward God.  They made God their dwelling by handing over those things they would have liked to keep for themselves.

Our society and religious institutions are not set up the same way they were for the Jews thousands of years ago.  We can’t imagine setting a basket of our finest corn, soybeans, wheat or sheep on the altar at our church.  Are we then excused from such a sacrifice?

The sacrifice that we should be willing to make should be that God is considered first when we examine our situation.  An offering to God may not take the form of an animal or a basket of vegetables.  Instead we may choose to give money.  We may choose to give of our time and energy.

What is essential is that these donations are given first, before we care about ourselves.  We should be certain that we sacrifice to the Lord – time, money, possessions – before we worry about meeting any other obligations.  When we are able to give to God first we are making God our dwelling.  We are expressing love and gratitude to the Lord.

When we do this, when we have this attitude, we will be blessed by the Lord for our sacrificial and loving actions.

DAILY CHALLENGE:  What first-fruits do you have to give to God?

Temptation 2

Psalm91:9-16

While working as an editor at a local newspaper the managing editor, the big boss, was named Ozzie.  His name was often used as the authority for getting things done.  If someone questioned why something was to be done or done in a particular way, the response was frequently, “Because Ozzie said so.”

It can be quite helpful to have a person of authority and power on your side.  The author of Psalm 91 talks about all the good that can come about from honoring God.  What positive things will happen (verses 10-13)?  What does God promise in verses 14-16?  Why will these good things come about (see verse 9 and 14)?

We are certainly faced with the many temptations that come with life.  We are tempted to be certain that we are in a good place in life – in our finances, in our homes, in our relationships.  It is a temptation to take care of “Number One” – ourselves.

But we will be blessed by God if we can overcome the temptations we face every day and instead honor God.  The psalmist reminds us that if we make God our dwelling and our refuge – that is, if we submit ourselves completely to God and focus our energies on serving Him – then we will receive good things from God.

The Lord will protect us from harm.  God’s angels will watch over us, guard us, and even be with us when we face some of the most dangerous and terrifying things in life.  This is not an encouragement to go out and do daring and foolish things that will put you in dangerous situations, but it is a reminder that we will have the strength of God with us in all the difficulties and challenges in life.

God offers promises to protect and bless us in our lives if we are able to submit to Him and love Him as He deserves.  “Because he loves me,” God says in verse 14.  If we truly love and honor God in our living, if we resist the temptation to focus on ourselves and instead live a life of holy sacrifice, God promises to protect us from harm.  He promises the salvation we so deeply desire.

Like Jesus we must resist the temptations to satisfy our own desires.  We must replace that impulse to care for ourselves and replace it with an attitude of sacrificial giving – giving our time, our money, our efforts, and our devotion.  When we can resist temptation and be sacrificial toward God in our life we will be blessed with God’s presence and power and be delivered from the harm and troubles that come when we give in to temptation.

DAILY CHALLENGE:  How can you make God your dwelling?

Temptation 1

Luke4:1-13

Todays’ passage is a lengthy one, but it is likely a story from the Bible most people are familiar with.  Jesus has been baptized by John in the River Jordan and now is ready to begin the ministry that makes up much of the four gospels.

Why does Jesus go into the desert?  What are the three temptations presented to Jesus?  Why do you think Jesus started his ministry in this way?

If we are going to understand temptation and sacrifice we need to completely comprehend what they are.  Temptation is that desire to please your own desires and wants in whatever way that may be.  Sacrifice is the ability to deny your selfish desires so that others may benefit.

I have addressed the temptations offered to Jesus in the past.  If these three scenarios were a temptation to Jesus then two things must be true.  One – whatever was being offered must have been something that Jesus could have desired.  Two – for it to be a temptation then submitting to it, giving in, accepting what was offered must have been considered.

Being fed because he was hungry must have been something Jesus considered.  Being in charge of all the nations must have been something Jesus might have wanted.  Becoming the center of attention and praise must have been something that tempted Jesus.

Why did he go into a desert place and spend 40 days in the wilderness?  Why did Jesus allow himself to be confronted by the devil?  Is this the best way to start a ministry?

Obviously, this was the best way for Jesus to begin.  He was filled with the Holy Spirit and it was the Spirit, that third person of the holy Trinity, that led him to the desert to have this showdown with the devil.

It was a good way to begin ministry because it allowed Jesus to demonstrate to himself, to God, to the devil, and ultimately to us that he was ready for ministry.  He could face all the various temptations that the world (or the devil) could offer and reject them.  He would not give in to the temptations, but would sacrifice – deny himself – for the benefit of everyone else.

We have celebrated Easter and the resurrection of the Lord.  We have learned that we must believe without seeing.  Now we must be willing to face our own ministry with the same attitude of Christ.  We must be willing to deny those things that tempt us away from doing good, and instead take on an attitude of sacrifice.

DAILY CHALLENGE:  What helps you resist temptation?

Results 4

John 15:13-14

A pastor years ago used a story about a young boy in one of his sermons. According to the story the boy’s brother needed surgery and the doctor asked the boy to provide a blood transfusion for his brother. The boy agreed and they hooked him up to his brother and started the surgery.

Everything was going smoothly, but after a few minutes the doctor noticed the boy crying and asked what was wrong. Was he in pain? Was he afraid?

“No,” the boy said. “I’m just waiting to die.”

The doctor assured the boy that his brother only needed some of his blood and not all of it, but it was admirable that he was willing to give himself completely for his brother.

Such an attitude is the attitude we should have toward everyone else if we are children of God and we have faith in Jesus. What does Jesus say about love? How do we show that we are friends to Jesus?

This saying of Jesus is both difficult and easy. It is difficult because the thought of sacrificing our own lives for the sake of a person we care about can be hard to accept. It is easy because the likelihood of our needing to give away our lives for another is not very probable.

The statement Jesus makes in verse 13 is plain and simple. Great love for another can be shown by giving up your own life for that person. But the comment in verse 14 seems to qualify the statement.

If we were ever called on to give up our life to save another then our ministry is over. We are finished. We have done our utmost and no more can be expected of us.

However, showing Jesus that we are his friend by doing what he has commanded can seem like a more difficult challenge. It is not a “once and done” type of approach. Obeying the commands of Jesus is a daily challenge for us, one that must be lived out over and over again.

But this is the result of our faith. If we believe in Jesus we are children of God, we are friends to Jesus. And as friends of Jesus we will live out our faith by showing mercy and compassion, by giving up our lives for others – not through our own deaths but by sacrificing our own comforts and desires for the benefit of those in need.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How do you show that you are a friend of Jesus?

Costly Grace 4

Romans 12:1

If you say the word “Lent” to just about anyone the first thought that usually comes to mind is that this is a time of sacrifice, a time to give up something for 40 days. But if we see Lent as only that then we are only seeing part of the picture.

The idea of giving something up is an exercise in self-denial, a process of learning to put your focus not on human, material and temporary things, but instead on heavenly, spiritual things. But most people miss that second part.

Jesus said in Mark 8:34 that we are to deny ourselves – give up human desires – but in their place pick up the cross. This is the second half of the Lenten experience.

Lent is more than a time of sacrifice and giving up. It is a time of also taking on challenges. Once we are able to deny the human desires that are so strong in us, we can fill that void with spiritual endeavors.

Our 40-day journey to Easter is a time where we are confronted with the need for each of us as Christians to take on an attitude of costly grace. Costly grace is more than sacrificing those bits and pieces of life that are unnecessary anyway. Costly grace is taking on an attitude of holy giving, of living the way Jesus lived by investing ourselves completely and whole-heartedly in the work of God.

Costly grace means doing the work of Jesus in our society today. It means standing up against injustice. It means offering your whole self to the benefit of the needy, and to those who are spiritually empty, who need that relationship with God.

Paul has something to say about sacrifice and costly grace in his letter to the church in Rome. What should be our sacrifice? If we give our bodies as sacrifices, what holy act are we doing?

Notice that Paul says that our bodies should be “living sacrifices.” We are not simply to die for a good cause, but we are to live for the service of God. We are to act and do and perform works of mercy and compassion. In so doing we are worshiping God in our behavior, worshiping God in our very being.

Lent is more than an exercise in giving up. It is a lesson in taking on the life of a Christian, living out the love of God.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Where is your living sacrifice needed in the world around you?

Costly Grace 3

Matthew 6:1-4

It is common in Lent for people to give up something as a sign of their faith journey to holiness. Unfortunately it is also common for those who have given up something to make loud announcements and proclamations of what they have given up. They lament their decision to give up chocolate and commiserate with others on how much they miss it. Or they announce how much time they have devoted to Bible study and how hard it is for them to carry through on their plans.

While it is good and noble to be willing to enter into a time of self-denial, the attitude we take on can remove the goodness of those intentions. What comments does Jesus make about sacrifice? What have these people already received? What should our attitude be?

If we sacrifice anything just so that others can see how good we are, then we have already received our reward. We managed to impress others, but we have done nothing to enrich our connection to God.

In verse 3 Jesus makes the comment that we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. And that instruction seems like an impossible thing to do. How can one hand do something without our entire body knowing what is going on?

Well, in the physical world that is a complete impossibility. If any part of our body functions the entire body is aware of it.

But if we look at this from a spiritual point of view it may make more sense. If the left hand represents the human part of our thinking, and the right hand represents the spiritual side of who we are then it can be accomplished.

If we can give and sacrifice, if we can exhibit costly grace on a purely spiritual level – the right hand – and do that work for purely sacrificial reasons, then we are denying our human desire for popularity and praise. If our actions are done in honest love and genuine sacrifice, then our right hand – our spirit – has done something that does not benefit the left hand – our humanness.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you do to keep your acts of grace centered on your right hand – your spiritual side – and not your left hand – your human, earthly side?

Costly Grace 2

Mark 8:34

When I entered into the ministry I first had to attend a week-long school with various classes on how to be a pastor. One of the concluding services to that program involved each of us candidates going forward and standing in front of the cross. At the cross we were each to confess to God what it was in our lives that we would give up for God.

In this season of Lent every one of us who call ourselves Christian must examine our faith and our relationship with Christ. Each of us must determine what it is that we can give up for God. We must decide what it is that we will sacrifice so that we might be closer to our Lord and Savior.

In this passage from Mark Jesus is traveling with his disciples in the villages near Caesarea Philippi when he calls his followers to his side. What does Jesus say we must give up? What must we take on?

Jesus gives fairly simple instructions, but presents a challenge that is hard to live out. If any person will follow in the footsteps of Jesus, if any person will try to live a life of holy action and holy thinking, then that person must learn to deny themselves. Such denial goes beyond giving up a particular piece of our lives – refraining from eating certain foods or doing certain actions.

To deny oneself means to put our human desires aside, putting our own wants and wishes in a lower position. This clears the way for the cross we must take up. And the cross is the symbol of sacrifice, the representation of giving and loving completely.

We are to put away the wants of the world – our desires for wealth and power and personal comfort – and replace them with an attitude of service to God. We need to go beyond simply letting go of certain things that may control what we do. Once these are removed they must be replaced with an attitude and desire to be more Christ-like in our thinking, speaking and acting.

The cross we should pick up is the cross of loving others, of desiring what is best for others, and what is best for the Kingdom of God.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What cross of costly grace do you need to pick up?

Costly Grace 1

As we enter into our season of Lent, that 40-day period where we prepare ourselves for the gift of the resurrection, we are reminded that we are to take a journey of faith. In these weeks before Easter we need to examine ourselves, examine our spiritual state, to see if we are ready to accept the salvation Jesus gives.
We are to take this time to build our faith. And this year we will follow the events of Holy Week, using Jesus as our guide. But first we must know what grace and Lent are all about.

Numbers 13:30-31

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran pastor and theologian who died for opposing Adolf Hitler, talked about “costly grace.” The idea is that grace, which is free to us, cost God His Son. In response we should be willing to give of ourselves, risking and committing all to serve the Lord.

In Numbers we have the story of Moses leading the Israelites to the very border of the Promised Land, that wonderful place God had pledged to them. Before they enter, however, spies are sent in to see what the land is like. When they return they tell of the incredible bounty that awaits them, but they also warn of the people living there. They are very powerful.

What does Caleb want to do? What confidence does he have? What do the other men say?

God had promised the Israelites a home filled with abundance, a land flowing with milk and honey. And the spies who entered Canaan found incredible abundance waiting for them. But they were frightened and did not trust in God.

Caleb had confidence in God. He knew that if God had made the promise that Canaan was to belong to the Israelites then indeed it would. They simply needed to move ahead with God’s plans and receive what He had promised.

But others did not have that strength in their faith. They doubted. In fact they were so afraid they threatened to stone Moses if he led them into the Promised Land. The result was that God cursed them, His anger burning against them. All of the Israelites at that time were cursed to wander the wilderness until they had all died.

The days of Lent are often compared to the wilderness of wandering. As we enter into this season we must remember the incredible bounty that awaits us on Easter Sunday. It is a gift from God for each of us as sinners. But we must prepare ourselves to receive this wonderful gift.

To prepare ourselves we must move forward in our faith, pushing ahead with the confidence of Caleb, and not the self-doubting weakness seen in the other spies. In the coming weeks you should examine your faith and how it compares to the perfect example of holiness found in Jesus.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Honestly evaluate your faith. Does it have the confidence seen in Caleb, or are you often timid like the other spies?

Give 5

Matthew 25:35-36

Several years ago I received a call from an elderly woman who was struggling with her health, as was her husband. In addition to their health issues the couple was financially strapped, living in a small apartment with very few belongings. For Christmas she wanted only to be able to provide a nice holiday meal for her husband and family.

When the request was made known the church responded with an abundance of food and cookware. I was the one who was fortunate enough to deliver the donations. I was the one blessed to see the grateful expressions and the excitement the woman felt.

In this holiday season as we celebrate the story of Christ’s birth, we take a moment to look at one of the lessons Jesus taught. He told of his return and how he would reward those who followed his teaching. What needs are listed? What responses are given?

The generosity presented in this lesson from Jesus does not involve an abundance of money spent. Food, drink, fellowship, and compassion are the gifts we can give to those in need.

At Christmas we can get very caught up in the exchange of presents. We can be consumed with the amount and value of the many gifts. While it is important to spend time together as a family and to share times of love and togetherness, we must never forget that our giving should also extend beyond our own families.

As we go through this season of celebration, of sharing love and generosity, let us remember to share God’s love and compassion with those less fortunate than ourselves. As we consider what gifts we may want to buy for our loved ones, we should also set aside money and time to give gifts to the needy.

By sharing your abundance with those less fortunate you will be living out the true gift and spirit of Christmas, an attitude of selfless giving and compassion.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Is there someone in your community who needs your time and a small bit of sacrifice on your part?

Give 4

John 1:1-3

There are times when I must remind our children that doing chores and helping out around the house are simply part of the expectations of being in the family. Being helpful is not a one-time opportunity that is rewarded and then abandoned. Now and then one of the children will ask what they will get if they do this job or that. I tell them they get to live in our house another month.

While Christmas is a celebration of exchanging gifts, giving and receiving presents, and while the day is a reminder of the greatest gift of all, that of our Savior Jesus, we are also reminded of other gifts from God. Where did the “Word” begin? What did the “Word” take part in?

The Greek term for “Word” is Logos. It represents the consciousness and will of God. Logos is intended to be Jesus; therefore, the “Word” is Jesus.

In this holiday season as we hear the story over and over about Mary and Joseph and the little baby born in Bethlehem, we can overlook the fact that the baby we are talking about did not originate in that small town. The baby that came as a gift to humanity was God, eternal and beyond all time.

With the birth of the human, Jesus, God Himself came to earth to live among mortals. God Himself appeared in flesh in the form of Jesus. And while this is the greatest gift of all time, the gift of extreme love and mercy and forgiveness, we cannot overlook the fact that all of creation is a gift from God.

Through Jesus and the power of God all things have been made. God created heaven and earth. God created each one of us. And all of this creation is a gift from God, an expression of love and compassion, a love that has existed before we were born.

Christmas should not be a time when we give presents and then we are done with the task. The giving spirit, the willingness to share, the desire to give good things to others should be something that is in our hearts at all times. The “spirit” of Christmas, the spirit of giving, should be with us always.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How will you keep the Christmas spirit as part of what you do every day of the year?

Wave Offering 5

Exodus 36:3-7

When my father passed away all of our friends and relatives wanted to express their sympathy and offer help to our family. They did so by bringing us food – covered dishes, casseroles, cakes, pies, rolls. I vividly recall having so much food that had been brought in that there was no more room for any more. The kitchen counters were covered with plates of food, the kitchen table was covered, and even snack tables had been set up and they were heaped with food. The love expressed through gifts of food filled our house.

What a wonderful comfort that was. What a wonderful sight to see such abundance, all reminding us of the love and comfort that surrounded us.

In Exodus we have God commanding that a tabernacle be built along with other items for worship. Moses instructs the Israelites to bring in contributions, whatever they are able to give so that God might be honored. How did the people respond? What did the workers tell Moses? What did Moses command? Why?

This is an uplifting story, an example of the dedication the people had to God. They had been commanded to bring contributions to God, and they responded with all of their hearts, presenting offerings day after day. So much was given that Moses had to put a stop to the generosity.

Unfortunately we seldom see that kind of dedication. It is rare to have a church leader tell the members that the contributions are in such abundance that they must be stopped.

It is a wonderful example of how we should respond to our God. We are to present God with our offerings and gifts, and our gratitude should be expressed “morning after morning.” Our thanks and appreciation of God, our praises, should be lifted up to God first, before anything else is done. And we should offer such gratitude in such abundance that we are certain we have given enough that the work of God my be done.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Will you be one who fills God’s house with an abundance of gratitude?

Wave Offering 4

Psalm 95:6-8

My wife and I love to watch “The Amazing Race.” It is fun to see so many beautiful parts of the world, the different cultures, the different customs and people. And it is exciting to cheer on our favorite contestants and predict who will be eliminated each week.

In the show the contestants must complete various tasks throughout each episode, and when the task is finished someone is there to hand them their “clue” – directions for the next task. The one thing that bothers me every time I watch the show is seeing these people snatching the clue from the person’s hand and running off to do the next task. I know they are in a race and I know they are excited and want to hurry, but it bothers me that the contestants rarely say “thank you” to the person handing them the clue.

God is deserving of all our praise and gratitude and Psalm 95 offers some instructions to the faithful. What should we do? Why should we do it?

It is interesting that Psalm 95 has two parts to it. The first seven verses tell the believers to give praise and thanks to God. It also explains why we should do that – the Lord is great (verse 3), He is the Creator (verse 4-5), He is God (verse 7). The last four verses are a reminder of what has made God angry in the past.

What is interesting is that the praises are encouraged first. The warning and caution is second. The psalmist puts his praise to God at the beginning.

So it should be with us as well. We should offer God our praises in our life, not as an afterthought and not to avoid wrath, but because God is deserving of our thanks and praise. We have already received abundance from God. We have already received love and mercy from God. He is deserving of our praise and adoration. And that praise should be the first things we offer, before we do anything else.

DAILY CHALLENGE: When do you praise God?

Wave Offering 3

Leviticus 23:9-10

I am part of a small group of area pastors planning to have a Christmas party this December. We have agreed that when we meet we will likely provide our hostess with a gift. That is the polite thing to do – to give a gift in appreciation of the kindness of allowing us all to gather and receive hospitality.

God gave commands in Leviticus on how to provide Him with offerings, expressions of appreciation. What command is given in this passage from Leviticus?

God provided for the Israelites under Moses by working against Pharaoh so that the Israelites would be set free from their bondage in Egypt. Once freed, God had promised to lead them to the Promised Land, a place prepared for them so that they might prosper and live out a good and blessed life.

In return for these great acts of compassion God set out certain rules and requests of the faithful. Once they had settled, planted and harvested their crop they were to return to the Lord a portion of the plenty they would receive. God asked for a sheaf of grain, a small token of gratitude for the abundance they would enjoy.

God did not need this grain for sustenance. He would not be eating this offering. It was simply meant to acknowledge God and what He had done for the people. The point was that in all that they did the Israelites were to keep God foremost in their thoughts.

Before sitting back and enjoying the fullness of life they needed to give God a small gift of appreciation.

While we may not be expected to bring a handful of grain to our altars, or bring in a bucket of vegetables from our gardens, or even a fistful of money from our paycheck, we are to remember God’s goodness in what we do. As we enter into the season of harvest and the season of Christmas, indeed in all seasons, we are to present God with our own offerings, our own gifts of gratitude for what He has done. The “Wave Offering” is a reminder that we should honor God first, putting God above all else in our lives.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you remember to put God first in your life?

Wave Offering 2

Romans 12:1-2

Our most recent Bible study spent some time discussing how to live within God’s will. We talked about the need for us as Christians to seek first what God wants from us, what He expects us to do. It is not always clear when we are trying to make decisions about our lives and our finances, our plans and our desires, what exactly would please and serve the Lord.

The solution is to pray. When deliberating on which way we should go and what we should do the best way to start is to pray to God and ask plainly for some indication of the direction we should head. We all agreed that we have each, at one time or another, felt some nudge this way or that and a sense of peace when we felt the decision was within God’s will.

In his letter to the Romans Paul offers some instruction. What does he urge? What attitude should we have? What is the result?

In looking at the offerings that can be made to God the most common thoughts turn to possessions. If we want to give something to God our first thoughts often turn to money or material items. I should allow God to have this much money. I will allow God to use my car for His service, or my tools.

We often overlook the best gift we can give to God. We forget that what God frequently needs most is us.

We are to offer ourselves as sacrifices – not necessarily laying down our lives in death to serve a holy cause – but to offer how we live and behave as an offering. If we can set our own selfish desires aside and we can resist the temptations of this world – temptations to fame, success, wealth – then we can transform ourselves into a holy offering to God. We can put God first in our lives, changing our attitude to one of intentionally living under God’s will, His influence and His teaching.

The best offering to God is an offering of yourself as a living sacrifice, one who obeys God and shares His love.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you be a living sacrifice?

Burnt Offering 4

Hebrews 10:3-7

One day as a teen-ager I was wasting time with a friend of mine, the two of us playing pool and talking. While we were “hanging out” he took a chain and heated it in the flame of a candle (I know it doesn’t make sense! We were teen-agers!) When the chain was good and hot my friend pressed it down on my hand. It hurt – and it left a scar.

To this day, about thirty-five years later, I can still see the marks of that chain. No amount of time, washing or lotions will take away the mark and the reminder.

The author of Hebrews spends some time discussing the rituals and practices of sacrifices among the Jewish people. What does he say about such things as burnt offerings and wave offerings? What is the comment on their effectiveness? How was Jesus different?

While it may be important to remember the reasons behind the offerings called for in Leviticus, and while it may be interesting to know how these offerings were given, we need to remember that they have no point at this time. These sacrifices, although well-intentioned, have no ability to remove sin. In fact, they serve as a scar – a reminder, a recollection that wrong has been done.

In their place we have a true and perfect sacrifice that has removed our sin. Christ himself came, not to give a burnt offering, but to have a mortal body that would itself become the sacrifice.

Sometimes in our faith we can fall into the mistaken thinking that if we do something long enough and good enough we can be acceptable to God. If we keep saying our prayers the right way, if we attend worship enough, if we give enough money, we can have our sins washed away. But there is nothing we can do on our own to achieve salvation. Only the sacrifice of Christ – and that is the accepted sacrifice of Christ – can save us.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can wash away your sin?

Burnt Offering 3

John 3:16-17

One year for the holidays my cousin surprised me with a couple of Christmas gifts – a framed picture, a personalized mug and a bag of chocolates. I was dumb-founded and a little embarrassed at first. I had not gotten him anything – after all, we had never exchanged gifts before. He was quick to explain that the gifts were given just because he wanted to give them. He expected nothing in return.

Today’s passage is the keystone to the Christian faith, the central foundation to what we believe. What did God do? Why did God do it? What happens when we believe and accept it?

Jesus was God in human form, God here on earth. And he came for a reason. He came so that we could believe in him. And through believing in him we are given the promise of eternal life. We are given the promise of eternity in heaven.

It is a gift from God.

Jesus was an expression of the love of God, plain and simple. Jesus did not come so that he could point out who was wrong and who was condemned to hell. He came as an expression of grace and mercy. He came to benefit us.

And one of the key issues is that, like the burnt offering of Leviticus, Jesus offered himself of his own volition. He came out of his own choice, his own desire to be that gift of salvation to each one of us.

He was neither motivated by judgment nor requirement by God. Jesus came out of love to save us all from an eternal death, a death not only of the body but of the spirit as well.

We have been presented with the perfect offering, the unblemished sacrifice of Jesus. How will we respond?

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you show gratitude toward God?

Burnt Offering 2

Leviticus 1:3

I recall getting very angry one holiday when I had to go to the store the day after Christmas to exchange one of our children’s gifts. The toy we had purchased and wrapped, the gift that our child received, was broken inside its packaging. It was very disappointing to me and our child to have this long-awaited gift delayed even more because somehow the quality of the item was not where it should have been.

If we will give a gift to another we usually expect and hope that the gift will not only be acceptable, but be of excellent quality. In the Book of Leviticus God outlines exactly what type of offerings are acceptable and which ones are not. What are the specifications described for burnt offerings?

God has decreed that certain sacrifices should be made to Him. These sacrifices are signs of penance, or of commitment, or of gratitude. Commentaries describe the first such sacrifice – the burnt offering – as the oldest and most common offering made. In my mind it is also the most important.

These sacrifices are suggested by God, and are not mandatory. They are made on the decision of the one offering the sacrifice, made by choice and not by requirement. The person making the sacrifice was also to present the best of his animals, a perfect and unblemished creature, a flawless offering to God. It was not to have defects or problems.

The sacrificed animal then takes the place of the person making the sacrifice. The burnt offering suffers the punishment and destruction due to the person, and the one making the offering is cleansed of guilt through the perfect sacrifice.

Sound familiar? It should. Jesus Christ became the perfect offering to God, presented through his own decision, willingly destroyed on our behalf. And Jesus was a gift of the highest quality, flawless and without defect.

How do we react to such a sacrifice? First, we must accept it and embrace it. We must cherish such a sacrifice. And then we should strive to offer ourselves to God – flawless and without defect – in our faith and in our actions.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you become a perfect offering to God?

Burnt Offering 1

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

At the store today we were greeted by a sign that wished us all a Merry Christmas. My daughter asked, “Are we skipping Thanksgiving?” I told her that we almost skipped Halloween – the Christmas holiday commercials have already begun.

Today’s passage is the start of a very familiar reading from Ecclesiastes 3, a statement about life. What does the first verse tell us? What specific times are mentioned in verse 2?

Although we do not as a family have exact dates when it is time for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and so on, we do have an order to our lives. We often find it amusing when folks put up their Christmas decorations in early November only to leave them up well into March. It seems a blurring of the seasons, a refusal to allow the holiday to fade.

As pointed out in Ecclesiastes there is an order to life. There is a time for all things. We will experience a time of growth, a time of rest, a time of joy and a time of sorrows. That is life. There is a rhythm to it, a flow, an order.

We are currently in a time of harvest. We are seeing the local farmers gathering in their crops and personally we are preparing ourselves and our home for the fast-approaching winter months and all the activities that involves.

Our faith life has its seasons as well. There is a time of renewal in our spirits, a time of confidence and security, a time of doubt, and also a time of struggle. We are given times of joy from God, but we also must prepare ourselves for times of sacrifice and times of loss.

We are called on by God to give offerings to the Lord and the Bible also gives us guidance in the offerings we are to give to God. For the next several weeks we will be examining three types of offerings mentioned in Leviticus – the burnt offering, the grain offering and the fellowship offering.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you remember that God is the Lord of all seasons?