“The sacrifice of the wicked is hateful and exceedingly offensive to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight!”

Proverbs 15:8 AM

Our verse today is a challenging one. It is a reminder that one cannot simply think that offering a sacrifice is better than obeying the Lord. A sacrifice is something that is presented as an act of worship to the Lord. This verse tells us that God is looking more at the intention than the act! The act of sacrifice is contrasted against the act of a simple prayer. When King David was confronted with his illicit relationship with Bathsheba and the murder of his best friend, he didn’t go running to God with a “fix-all” solution of a sacrifice. Read 2 Samuel 12 and you will see a man broken by his actions and spending time in reflection about the depth of his sin. You can read the words of a man truly repentant about his actions in Psalms 51,

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and guilt And cleanse me from my sin.3For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; My sin is always before me.4Against You, You only, have I sinned And done that which is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak [Your sentence] And faultless in Your judgment.”

Psalms 51:1-4 AMP

No excuses. No escaping what he had done. We see a man acceptant of his actions and willing to shoulder the responsibility of his mistakes. This is a perfect example of what our verse today is talking about. There are those who thoughtlessly sin and then think that a simple word of “sorry” is enough to make it right! Sacrifice is easy. It involves something else to die. Repentance is hard because it demands that we must die to the sin! The forgiveness of God is our greatest hope and it should never be trampled underfoot! The Apostle Paul wrote,

“What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [God’s gift of] [a]grace may increase and overflow? 2Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer? 3Or are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been [b]baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4We have therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in newness of life [abandoning our old ways]. Romans 6:1-4 AMP

We must always remember that forgiveness is a free gift for us but it cost Christ everything to give it! Grace isn’t a license to sin but rather the freedom not to! Before the cross we could do nothing else but sin. Now however, the blood of Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death. We are now free to choose to walk in the newness of this life. 

I am thankful that God is looking at my heart and not my actions! Of course, He is concerned when I am not walking in His way but grace allows me to continue on the journey of being conformed to His image in my life. The command of God is clear,

“Therefore I urge you, [b]brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be [c]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].”

Romans 12:1-2 AMP

Do you see it? We walk this world now by “the mercies of God!” Remember that God is not fooled by our pretense of self-righteousness but rather by the sincerity of our hearts as learn to walk with Him! Have a transforming day with Him! Pastor Ken