For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6
Serving God can sometimes make us feel smug about ourselves. When we don’t know how to differentiate between activities and stewardship, we tend to feel good about our good deeds. But have asked ourselves what exactly God’s gold standard of service is?
I was in a discussion with someone once and he was telling me about what was going on in his church. He told me about how a female member was probably having an affair with a priest in the church. Though they couldn’t prove it but their concern was that the husband of the woman should not find out. He was a very busy businessman. He was one of those who could, from his back pocket, send some millions to the church without batting an eyelid.
Now, my worry is that this focus of their church leadership to avoid the matter leaking was not even the possibility of the man feeling betrayed or that those people might be sinning and thus defiling God’s altar but that the husband might probably stop sponsoring the church.
I asked a simple question: Was the guy God’s sponsor? I did not get a clear answer.
Seriously!
When a man begins to be rated as God’s sponsor, then we don’t know what we are doing. The Bible stated clearly that the earth is the Lord’s and all the fullness thereof. When people misunderstand preachers of the Gospel who say their God is a rich God or that they can never be poor and call them proud and arrogant, it is this simple truth these preachers have come to realise which their critics have not.
Their conviction is that when the need arises, God tells the person holding the money to go submit it at His altar. Just like when He needed a coin to pay His tax, Jesus Christ sent Peter to get it from the mouth of a fish.
I learnt this principle myself and do not worry about those things. Mine is to do my budget and present it before God. He meets my need supernaturally. That is a truth I have lived in for quite a while.
When we were to host children for a Bible Vacation School, we had a budget but we did not have a kobo anywhere. We presented our budget to God, prayed for wisdom. God gave us a strategy on how to raise the money, which we applied immediately.
We did our letters seeking for support because we wanted to host the children free of charge. We did not only host the children, we had left over for us to buy things to support the Fellowship. The truth is that only those whom God gave a directive to give us did. Some actually had but refused to give. What it showed is that God’s money for that programme was not in their pocket. Simple.
Those that gave their money, energy, skills and their time got their testimonies from that programme. That is how it works.
So, what God demands is that you pursue the core things in worship and not peripheral things. When He said He demands that you to show mercy rather than mere sacrifice to make you feel God, you know what to do. When He says your increasing your knowledge of who He is makes more sense than focusing on religious ‘fit in’ tendencies of giving offering, which you should give anyway, you know it is core to your worship.
So, activities without even understanding what is more important are foolishness. Do activities from the place of knowledge and understanding. That is what brings true reward and counts for you in His Kingdom. The principles work everywhere and for everyone; but your salvation brings them into true storage in your heavenly account with God.
Where should you start from? Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour. That is your account opening code. You don’t have an account in a bank where you have not filled in an account opening form to apply for it.
This is why we are here for you: to guide and lead you to the truth.
May today bring you into the true understanding of your purpose in life in Jesus name. Amen.
#sacrifice #burntoffering #mercy #knowledge #akewoauthe #akewoautheltd
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