Nougat 30

Whereas it was somewhat simple to take various animals to the altar as an act of obedience and prayer; it is not practiced much anymore. And, when we add the ultimate sacrifice given to God by Abraham and God’s Ultimate Sacrifice for each of us it becomes imperative that our gift be different. What if we were to consider ourselves as The Best Gift to place on our altars to God? Please receive today’s Holy Nougat

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans‬ ‭12:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now that we have considered the lessons from Abe’s Altars, it is time for us to build our own. And having confirmed that we are The Gift God desires, we have the starting point for our altar. We recognize the necessity for altars of Praise and Hope, of Thanksgiving, of Peace and of Radical Faith. These altars reflect different points on our Faith Walk; even as aspects of Abraham’s story assure us that when we mess up – as we sometimes do – we have access to the throne of Grace.

Building our altars begins with a thought or desire. To worship God unfettered. And in so doing, we will find our worship will shift. Our desire to experience a one-on-one connection should increase and God becomes more real.

When Abram operated in his own strength, troubles appeared – regardless of the altar he built. As we build the altar, let us reflect on what may be stumbling blocks to our worship. It may be a mindset that needs transforming; a habit that needs to stop, or one we need to start. If we seek to offer ourselves but are holding something back; our sacrifice is neither holy nor acceptable.

Holiness is about setting something aside from the common for the glory of God. And just as we wouldn’t seek to receive a half done gift; just as the animals offered were to be without blemish; our lives have to be freely (totally) offered. When we withhold parts of ourselves from God, we are not living sacrifices. And, in God’s sight, it is unacceptable.

Might I propose that we pause wherever we are right now and offer all those parts of ourselves that we have withheld, the broken hearts, broken promises and the secret bits that no one else knows.

O Lord Jesus, restore us so we may find the courage to offer You ALL of ourselves, just as You did for us. Help us realize that when we offer ourselves, it is then that we live. May we die to self as we offer on Your altar we pray in Jesus name amen.

—

May all we seek be found in Christ