What’s the next right thing for you to do?

The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.

Proverbs 21:3 NLT

In the Old Testament, offering ceremonial sacrifices to the Lord was our atonement for sin. It is how we tried to make ourselves right with God for the things that we had done wrong.  Now think of this like a parent. Parents would much rather have their kids behave and do the right things than to punish them. It is the same with God, He is more please when we do what is right, so we do not have to offer sacrifices. Yet I think that there is more to this. What is the sacrifice that is offered Him was done, not to make things right, but solely for appearances? Then the motive for the sacrifice is wrong and another it becomes yet another sin against the Lord.

We need to live our lives for God with a pure heart. Yes, this can require us to sacrifice. The thing we must remember is that this kind of sacrifice is much different that the ceremonial sacrifices of the Old Testament. Think of it this way. We sacrifice for others. When I was young my parents sacrificed for my brother and I in ways I would not understand until I was a parent myself. I remember my mother using the coffee grounds more than once to make coffee. At the time I had no idea how much coffee cost. Nor did I realize that my mother and father did things like this so that we could have other things such as food, clothing, and a roof over our heads.

God sacrifices His own Son, Jesus, for our sins because He knew we would never be able to offer enough ceremonial sacrifices or be good enough. He takes care of us just like my parents took care of my brother and I. We need to respect and honor that love. It is only as an adult that I wish I had been a better son when I was a child. I can only wish I would have respected and loved my parents more. Better. I try to do that now with my father. My mother passed away in 2015 and I would love to still be able to show her my love and respect. To honor my parents, both my earthly parents and my Heavenly Father, I am willing to sacrifice to do better, to do what is right, just, good, and moral. We can all do this by doing what is right in God’s eyes even if the world says that it is wrong. The world may judge me, but that judgement does not matter. When it is my time, God will judge me. It is my prayer that when that time comes that what He says to me is “Well done good and faithful servant.”