living sacrifice

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2 Chronicles 11:16 Set Your Heart Correctly

Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 11:16

People will often set their hearts on something, but not always follow through with it. Challenges and obstacles come up and deter them from their desires. Their hearts are not fully set upon accomplishing that desire.

Others are willing to follow through whatever their heart is set up no matter what the challenges or obstacles that get in their way.

After Israel split as a nation, everyone in the tribes of Israel that had set their hearts upon seeking God followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to God.

While many people set their hearts on something, often it is only for a short time. Desires change very quickly and often. Usually this is due to challenges or peer pressure to change.

Making the choice to follow God is easy, but truly following God takes a dedication that many do not always have. They are willing to seek God when in need, but when it comes time to have to sacrifice something to seek God, many will back down.

In order to seek God, time, energy, entertainment and more must often be sacrificed. They will not travel the distance to fully follow God with all of their heart, mind and strength. People will sleep in or go fishing on Sundays, rather than going to the house of God to seek Him and worship Him with other believers.

Just as the Israelites set their hearts on following God, believers must set their hearts on following God, being willing to leave all to worship and be a living sacrifice to God.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will set your heart upon seeking God above all else; that you will do what is needed to seek God; that you will be a living sacrifice unto God; and that you will meet with others to worship and sacrifice to God on a regular basis.

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2 Chronicles 4:1 A Place For Sacrifice

He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. 2 Chronicles 4:1

Most religions around the world have physical altars for various purposes. They are used for worship, prayer and sacrifices. Some of these are very plain and simple, while others are extremely ornate and fancy in design.

The world also has unseen altars that they sacrifice the things of life on in order to get what they desire and to worship what they have in life.

Solomon had a bronze altar built that was twenty (about 30 feet) long by twenty cubits (about 30 feet) wide by ten cubits (about 15 feet) high.

The extremely large altar that Solomon had built would later be used to sacrifice thousands of animals on each year for the sins of people and for the thanksgiving of the people of Israel. After Jesus died upon the cross and arose from the dead, the need for physical sacrifices were done away with.

Although those sacrifices were done away with, the need for sacrifice is still there.

People are quick to sacrifice many different things in order to get something that they want. The greater the desire, the greater the sacrifice will be made.

Many believers claim to want to know God and be like Jesus but are unwilling to place their lives upon the altar to be a living sacrifice to God. They will hold on to the things and ways of this world, refusing to change. This can be seen in many churches when they have taken out the altars to be replaced by a stage or platform. They want to be seen by the world, rather than offered to God.

Every believer needs to lay down his life upon the altar of sacrifice to be a living sacrifice unto God.

As a believer, you are to be in the constant process of becoming more and more like Jesus every day. The world and its ways will always be tugging at your heart to keep you in its ways.

In order to change, you must be willing to sacrifice your life upon the altar to God’s ways. Kill off the old ways of sin in your life and become a new creation who is created to do good works unto God that will last into eternity.

Are you willing to get on the altar for God?

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will sacrifice your wants and desires to gain God’s desires; that you will live your life honoring and obeying God; and that God will give you strength to sacrifice any sin in your life upon His altar to be forgiven and made new.

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1 Chronicles 22:1 A Place For God To Stay

Then David said, “The house of the Lord God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” 1 Chronicles 22:1

Having a place to stay is important for every person. Most people have to search for a good place to live and then rent it. Some will get the opportunity to purchase the place, while a few will have the opportunity to build a new place.

To build a new place takes a lot of planning and decision making. One has to decide where to build it and how to have it built.

David wanted to have a temple built for God to dwell in and have the burnt offerings offered in. He chose the house of God to be built.

The world is always seeking a place to live, but very rarely is seeking a place for other people to live, unless it is for a profit. The dwelling places of people are always temporary and come with a lot of challenges.

One thing the world does not seek is where God can dwell and a place where offerings can be offered up to Him.

While it is important for believers to have a place to physically live, it is more important to make a place for God to live. Every believer is to be the temple of God and a living sacrifice. Their lives are to be a place where God can live and they offer their whole lives up to be a sacrifice unto God for what Jesus has done for them.

Jesus provided forgiveness and cleansing from sin for every believer, giving them the opportunity to be the temple of God. Now the believer can live the holy life Jesus provided and make his life a place for God to dwell in for the whole world to see.

Although you may go to some church, the place where God really dwells is inside you, if you are a believer in Jesus. Live your life for God in such a way that God is pleased to make your heart a place to dwell. Offer your whole life up to God as a living and pleasing sacrifice to God.

Do not allow your life to be filled with the world and sin that will evict God from your life. Be the purified and holy temple of God that Jesus died on the cross for you to be.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will be the holy temple of God to dwell in; that you will live a holy life that Jesus has provided for you; that your life will be a sacrifice of love to God; and that the world will see that God dwells in you.