April 14

Apr 14 - Today from Proverbs 14 we look at verse 9
"Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright." (NIV)

"Making amends for sin." This thought come from the picture of the sin offering. The Bible says that "without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." I suppose that in Solomon's day there were those who thought that slaughtering a perfectly good animal to have one's guilt removed seemed utterly ridiculous. So, in order to fulfill their religious duty, they would offer the weak and sickly of their flock. After all, they had blood too! Was God pleased with their sin offerings? Here what God has to say in Malachi 1. We will extract statements from the chapter. "It is you , O priests, who show contempt for my name - when you bring blind animals for sacrifice - when you sacrifice cripples or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? - When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them for sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands? Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king and my name is to be feared among the nations." God is not pleased when His people show contempt for the sin sacrifice. If His people passionately love Him, they will offer their very best. It is not the state of the sacrifice that means anything, it is the state of the heart of the one bringing the sacrifice. What they offer up to God directly reflects what is in their hearts.
Our sin offering was sacrificed on the cross - the very Son of God. God offered His very best for us. . . for me! How do I respond to such a sacrifice? Do I bring Him my very best? When I am serving in some area, am I committed to excellence? When I am standing to offer praise, do I offer Him my best? When I bring my tithes and offerings, is it the first fruits, setting aside the first portion before I even consider what must be done with the rest? Or do I profane His sin offering by going through the motions, performing my religious duties in a perfunctory manner. Do I only enter into praise when the transitions are right and the style fits my preference? Do I bring an offering of the left-overs of the week or month? Have I lost sight of the wonder of His love for me, and the great things He has done? Have I relegated the Great King to just another area of duty?
I notice something about the righteous. The righteous have something which I strive to have - PASSION. They respond to His love by bringing the best from their flock because they have a passion for God. Their action is not out of duty, rather it is out of deep gratitude. I long for it. It's smoldering in my heart, but I cry out to God that it may be fanned into a flame. It is not something I can generate. It needs to come by the Holy Spirit within. I pray that the awareness of the need is the first step, for He places the desires of our hearts. And, it is He that gives us the desires of our hearts. We can pray with faith believing.
I pray for the passion of David, who danced and shouted before His Lord with unabashed enthusiasm.
I pray for the passion of Zaccheus who met the Savior and was overjoyed to make amends for his evil days by not only repaying those he cheated, but by blessing them as well. He did that because of his overwhelming passion for Jesus. I pray for the passion of the former prostitute in Luke 7 who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and anointed His feet with one of her most valuable possessions, an alabaster jar of perfume. She was unaware of those around her who would judge her. She only had eyes for the One who forgave her.
The hallmark of the righteous is passion. In all they do for the Lord, they do with passion. I see very little passion in the church today. Maybe that is why there is so little of God's favour on the church. I see too little in my own life. I am praying for the Holy Spirit to rekindle the dying embers, to restore us to our first love. Will you join me?