God Loves Sacrifice

One thing that comes to mind when I start making a list of what the Almighty loves is sacrifice. Throughout time and scripture over and over God showed He loves and responds to sacrifice. He is still moved today when people open up their life and go into the realm beyond themselves and give. When someone offers up to Jesus a sacrifice whether it be praise (Hebrews 13:15), prayer (Psalm 141:2), financial (Mark 12:41-44) or time (Romans 12:1), The Almighty responds. God loves sacrifice!

 

When people give themselves totally to God, not holding any part back, God moves on that sacrifice in a great way and consumes the offering with His presence and anointing.

In Leviticus 9 when Israel offers the first sacrifice on the altar of God the Bible says there when out a fire from before the Lord and consumed the sacrifice.

 

God loves it when His people go beyond the bounds of the normal in their life and give to God that which cost them. When people sacrifice God always moves. The Lord wants to move on lives. He wants to touch and bless, bring joy and peace, save and deliver. All God is waiting for is us to give up with a willing heart and go past what is convenient in our living for Jesus.

 

A beautiful example of what happens when one pushes past the norm of their life in found in 1^st Kings 18. In this story of Elijah confronting the prophets of Baal, God showed how much He loves sacrifice. The challenge that the prophet issues and the willingness to meet and stand up for the Almighty, took Elijah out of his comfort zone. The sacrifice that day started with Elijah showing up with the whole kingdom of Ahab looking to kill him. He tells the king to meet him on Carmel and the God that answers by fire let Him be God. The Almighty must have stood up off the throne that day when Elijah laid it all on the line. His life and his confidence in God, Elijah gave it all.

 

When you get to the last third of the chapter you find the prophet of God rebuilding the altar and putting the sacrifice all in order. Seeming to want to prove the wonder and power of God the prophet has gallons of water pored over the sacrifice. Again the water its self was a gift beyond the normal. They were in a three and a half year drought. There is no telling what Elijah had to pay for the water. Yet, on that day when the prophet of God stood seemingly against the world and gave it his everything the consuming fire of God fell. The fire came and took the sacrifice.

 

The fire didn’t come for the altar. The fire didn’t show up for the wood. The fire didn’t fall for the water. The fire of God fell for the sacrifice. The beautiful thing was when the fire of God showed up for the sacrifice, it consumed the wood, and it consumed the water and consumed the rocks of the altar. When the fire of God found the sacrifice it consumed everything else involved.

Everything was touched because of the sacrifice!

 

When someone will step towards God and give it all up and say not my will but Yours be done, the powerful anointing of God will consume the life. It is for this reason the blessed keep being blessed. If we need the Lord to touch every part of our life we have to realize it starts with sacrifice. Yet, when we offer a sacrifice to God with a pure heart everything about our life will get touched.

 

I don’t know about you but I need Jesus consuming every part of my daily life. So, I will continue to present my life a living sacrifice. I want the spirit of David that says, “I will not offer to my God that which cost me nothing (2^nd Samuel 24:24).  I challenge you to do the same and see what God will do as He consumes the sacrifice of your life. Because the Almighty loves sacrifice!