Doesn't That Stink?

Then slaughter the young bull in the Lord’s presence, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, will present the animal’s blood by splattering it against all sides of the altar that stands at the entrance to the Tabernacle. Then skin the animal and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest will build a wood fire on the altar. They will arrange the pieces of the offering, including the head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar. But the internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Leviticus 1:5-9 (NLT)

Is it just me? Does anyone else wonder why this would be a pleasing aroma to the Lord? All throughout the first few paragraphs of Leviticus it talks about organs and fat and body parts and how burning them is a pleasing aroma to the Lord. As I listened to that, I thought - there has got to be something I'm missing because that does not sound pleasing.

So, I started looking into it.  The sacrificial process in Leviticus was put in place so the people could come to God and say "I'm sorry" and "Thank you." There were other sacrifices but these were two at the beginning of the book. When you come to God wanting to say those two things, your heart has to be in the right place, right? 

Of course, you can get side-tracked and just go through the motions of saying "I'm sorry" or "Thank you." I bet we do this more than we'd like to admit. As a matter of fact, the Israelites did. In Isaiah 1 God chastised them for it. 

“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord.
“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle.
I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?
Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me!
As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting—
they are all sinful and false.
    I want no more of your pious meetings. (v 11-13)

They had gotten so used to the routine that they were making it about them. Not about their heart with God. The pleasing aroma in Leviticus was God's pleasure in hearts that were willing; in hearts that were open to a relationship with him. It wasn't in the actual smell of the burnt offering. And this is still what he wants from us today.

We are not going to go out and slaughter an animal to tell God we're sorry or thank you. But our hearts can tell him. When we say it, we can mean it and I know that this is still a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 

The Choice Is Yours

You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master. Genesis 4:7 (NLT)

In this story, Cain and Abel brought God an offering.  It seems that when they did, Cain brought an offering that was not acceptable to God. God rejected it and Cain became angry. God tries to reason with him and says "Cain, why are you angry? If you do what I ask, I will accept what you offer."

Did Cain think that what he wanted was going to be more pleasing to God than what God wanted? How often do we do this? How often do we say "Lord, here is my plan. Please bless it." And as we walk the path and we start to see that maybe it won't work out, we still think we can make it work.

At this point, we are at a crossroads. I picture it as a crossroad with a sign in the middle.  One side of the sign points in one direction with the word "Me" on it and the other sign points in the opposite direction and says "God." I imagine on the "Me" path there is a salivating figure crouching behind a boulder waiting to pounce. It is eager saying "Feed me, feed me" over and over again. Sadly, we all too often take this path.

The other direction, the path leads to God's plan. If you choose this path, there are still challenges but here God is in control and because of that you are able to master the desire to satisfy yourself.

Cain chose to feed the "Me" path and was overcome by his choice. It controlled him and he was ruined. As I read this story I have to ask God, "Is there something I am doing that is sending me down the "Me" path instead of the "God" path?"

How about you? 

A Minute In It - We Want What We Want

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post.  

So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, 23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. 27 This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff.
28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.
29 “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”
30 “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”
“No,” Balaam admitted.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.  Numbers 22:21-31 (NLT)

What did Balaam do when the donkey stopped his progress?
When the donkey started talking to Balaam, what was his response?
When did Balaam see the angel of the Lord?
Has God sent things to your life to stop you from doing what you want to do?
When did you realize God was trying to get a hold of you? Before or after it was too late?
What has been your response to God?
 

Sure, I'll Pray For You But......

Somehow, though he moves right in front of me, I don’t see him; quietly but surely he’s active, and I miss it. Job 9:11 (MSG)

Isn't that the truth? God is moving all around us and we miss it! We miss his Spirit touching others' lives. We miss his kindness in our own. We overlook mercy and forgiveness and because we can't see them in our own lives, we fail to offer them to others.

She was confiding in me, telling me her fears and asking for prayer. I was listening and praying at the same time. The story was difficult. Then, she said she was praying about moving to a different area. I asked her if she would be able to have Christian support there and if she'd have support for her kids. She didn't really answer the question but said she was praying for God's leading.

I prayed with her and told her i would continue but I am sad to say I started inserting my thoughts into the prayers. I started talking to God about how this didn't seem like a good move and how it would hurt her and her family.

One day, she announced she was moving and she told her God-story. She had a story packed full of God's movement in her life and how he opened this door and that door and closed others. As I sat there and listened, I cried.

I cried because God was tapping me on the shoulder and saying - "Your thoughts are not my thoughts. You shouldn't assume you know where I am at work." I cried because I sat there face to face with a God who was bigger than I was and bigger than this woman and her problems. I sat there and cried because He had a plan and he was working it out in her life.

Father God, open my eyes so I always see you moving. Open my eyes to see your children the way you do and change my plans so I move with you. Amen.