Better Than Sacrifice, Yielding Our Heart to GodChikamu
Doing what is right
This is much like obedience. Doing the right thing is far more pleasing to our God than any kind of sacrifice or performance to try to impress Him. Doing what is right, being obedient, showing mercy, being humble and contrite – these bring far more joy to our Heavenly Father’s heart! Proverbs 21:3 tells us, “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
God clearly reveals His heart and desire in Isaiah 1:11-17, “The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?” says the Lord...”Stop bringing meaningless offerings! ...I cannot bear your worthless assemblies... Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
Wow! All the things we try to do to impress God just make Him sad. Why would we want to break His heart? He wants so much to transform our lives, erase our sin, and bring us into His joyful family forever! That will happen when we turn our hearts to Him with a fully yielded spirit, worshiping and praising Him with hearts of gratitude. We will feel His smile upon us when we reflect His mercy and grace to others, humbly serving Him and others with love.
David summarized this beautifully in Psalm 4:4-5, “Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the Lord.”
Reflection: It took an amazing sacrifice from God to give us hope and joy and a future. But the only sacrifice from us that pleases God is the sacrifice of ourselves. Beyond that, God doesn’t need or want our shallow works. He’s far more pleased with love, obedience, a contrite heart, mercy, and always doing the right thing.
Thank you for completing this plan, we hope it has refreshed your heart and helped you to draw nearer to the Lord. Please consider joining us in our online courses, and we invite you to explore our website for more articles.
Zvinechekuita neHurongwa uhu
Sometimes we get caught up in the world’s efforts to do enough good things to save ourselves. But does that really work? What does God truly want from us? Join us and explore some Biblical aspects of how our service and sacrifice to the Lord should transform our hearts and lives.
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