Fresh Manna 3 September
MEDITATION SCRIPTURE: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.” (Prov.15:8)
READ: ROMANS 12: 1-3
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Few days ago I read a post on Facebook, it was a question: “Should prostitutes pay tithe, will God accept their gift? I want to state categorically here that God Almighty is not a beggar: He is not in need of anything. He is the uncaused cause. The Landlord of the heavens and earth and all that is in them. He is the owner of all that you have: even the life that you enjoy is a free gift from Him. God said to Israel, “for every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills….if I were hungry, I would not tell thee:”(Ps. 50:10,12)
God evaluates the giver first before the gift. Any giving unto the LORD that does not proceed from a humble heart of devotion and total submission to the will of God has lost its taste.
The story of Cain and Abel his brother, the first two people on earth to offer sacrifices to the LORD, is a clear proof that not all sacrifices that hit the altar, are accepted by God. The Almighty is greater than your apostle or Bishop. Their approval and applause of your deeds do not indicate divine acceptance. No sane steward of the palace dresses in tattered clothes and unkempt hair into the presence of the king, or serves him food in broken and dirty utensils. Such steward will be dealt with and may even lose his place in the service of the king. The divine instruction is, “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Rom.12:1)
The first act of worship is not offering of material gifts to God, but the offering of yourself to Him on the altar of sacrifice and total submission to His will.
TURNING POINT: The first act of worship is not offering of material gifts to God, but the offering of yourself to him.
PRAYER POINT: Lord, I offer You myself, accept me in Jesus name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PS.142,143,144; 1Cor.10:14-33
Thank you for studying today’s Fresh Manna (The Christian Pentecostal Mission International Daily Devotional) – Offer Your Heart First – written by REV. DR. O. EZEKIEL & REV. DR. M. EZEKIEL
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Fresh Manna 3 September 2021
