Corona Devo 352

7 “O my people, listen as I speak.  Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God!

8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.

9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens.

10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.

13 Do I eat the meat of bulls?  Do I drink the blood of goats?

14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.

15 Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.  If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”  ~Psalm 50:7-15, 23

Heavenly Father, please take the routine and monotony out of our service and gifts to You.  Remove any misconception or pride from our hearts about why we give of ourselves and our resources to You.  Not because You need anything we offer, but because you desire our grasp and gratitude of all that You are to us.  Amen.

It's a bit of a conundrum, really.  (What's that?...You don't use the word "conundrum" in daily conversation?  Me neither, but thank you to my Mom who taught it to me years ago.)  When I read today's scripture this word popped into my head as applicable.  And it does apply.  A conundrum is "an intricate and difficult problem" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).      

There is a weird/supernatural/spiritual conundrum hanging in the balance between our wanting/desiring/yearning/feeling-a-spiritual-pull-in-our-hearts-and-lives to thank God for all that He is to us and provides to us, and it is contrasted with the "intricate and difficult" problem or challenge (conundrum!) of how we should communicate that gratitude.  

The Israelites were giving lots of sacrifices.  They had become obedient and reliable in fulfilling their duties as assigned by God.  But somewhere along the line they had forgotten why they were providing the sacrifices and more importantly: to Whom they were bringing them.  God had no problem with what they brought, but He had to remind the Israelites (and us today) to examine their motive and catalyst for why they (we) bring sacrifices to God.  

8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.

9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens.

10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.  ~Psalm 50:8-12

It's sort of a conundrum.  God doesn't need our tithe, volunteer hours or the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens.  He needs our humility, submission, loyalty and gratitude in giving the stuff.  There is huge significance in us wanting to give of our hearts/talents/time to God, and the flip side of this is that the Lord is then blessed by the authenticity of our desire to glorify and give back to Him.

The Lord desires intimacy with us through His Word, in our dedicated time with Him, and in our humility of self with Him.  But He also demands our comprehension (and devotion) in realizing His Holiness.  

As an outcome and by-product of God's love and salvation offered to us, we should feel compelled to bless the Lord with our efforts and our lives.  But at the same time, we have to absorb the truth that our performance and treasures are not "doing the Lord any favors".  For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 5):10).  God has everything He needs, and yet His greatest desire is the gratitude and purity within our hearts that would propel us to bring these treasures and lay them at His feet.  It's a conundrum!

But luckily God solves the conundrum in our minds with instruction from His Word.  Once the humility and inferiority of who we are is stirred within us, and becomes mixed with our gratitude in realizing all that God has given us (salvation through His Son/ all of our spiritual, physical, emotional provision) then the next steps become clear:

14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.

23 ...giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.  If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”  ~Psalm 50:14, 23

Our gratitude to God, and for God, and in God is the only sacrifice that God wants from us.  And natural outpourings will flow from us in response.

Today, let us make thankfulness our sacrifice to God.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com/