Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, hateful and exceedingly offensive to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight!
It's all about the heart. God loves a heart that is pure and tender before Him. We sometimes have a wrong concept that God is all about the sacrifice. In other words, God is looking to see what kind of sacrifice we are willing to make. How much will we give? How much will we work? How much will we share? All of these things are very important, but God looks much deeper than the external sacrifice. God can't look over an unrepentant heart just because of a great sacrifice because there is no sacrifice large enough to cover up our sinful hearts. That's where Jesus comes in. His sacrifice was spotless and pure, completely holy and righteous. His sacrifice was His own life! When you think about this, no wonder it offends God when someone ignores the gift of God, and believes that their own sacrifice will somehow impress Him. God couldn't care less about those sacrifices, but now look at it from the other side. God loves the prayer of those made upright by His Son Jesus Christ. He takes great delight in us who come to Him with a heart that is open and vulnerable before Him. I don't know about you, but the thought of being able to bring a smile to face of God is an overwhelming concept! Let's make it our goal today to make God smile all day long :) Amen
To beleive that God would smile when I pray is so sweet. If I don't have another thought about God today, this one will be enough! As I raise my children I am learning so much about God the Father. I am very pleased when my children respond to me with adoration or a gentle sweet touch. When I respond to the call to prayer with a sweet adoration God's face must light up just like mine does. Man that's good stuff right there! I could drink from that well for a minute!
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