Lawrie Henry
Oh, no, no no! Cho! You’re
late and traffic is barely moving. The sun wouldn’t be so much of
a problem if the A/C were working; but it’s not. And to top off this
lovely start to the day, there is a well-scented garbage truck in front
of you, and it is responding very well to the ‘sun hot’. ‘Gasp’
– every breath is a struggle. Ever happened to you? Of course
you wouldn’t willingly choose to sniff this scent, even if it were
packaged in a designer bottle with a fancy name like “Truc du Garbaige”.
The Bible describes sacrifice
as a sweet smelling savour (fragrance) to the Lord (Num. 29:8). Thanks
to Jesus, we don’t have to sacrifice animals anymore. Instead we offer
the sacrifice of praise, including prayers, songs and the way we live
and treat others. This is pleasing to God (Heb.13:15, 16).
But when our praise is half-hearted
and legalistic, when we ignore the Holy Spirit and carry on doing things
our way, He says to us like He said to Israel:
“Bring no more offerings
of vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory and futility); [your hollow
offering of] incense is an abomination to Me….” (Isa. 1: 13 Amplified
Bible)
The smell of insincere sacrifice
is abominable to God, like a fleet of hot garbage trucks would be to
you. Offer your sacrifice of praise from a genuine heart, out of love
and not as a ritual, submitting to his will. This is God’s signature
scent.
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