Altar Your Life!

Life in Christ, while a gift, is not free of standards and expectations. As God’s children, He expects us to live for Him, not ourselves. As His dwelling place, we are told in Romans 12:1 to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” It is the how of living “out from among them (the world) and separate” (2 Corinthians 6:17).

 

This is where I stepped on the trail of blood months ago, wondering what the Old Testament had to teach us about sacrifice now, in New Testament times. Not what to sacrifice, but how. Not rules and regulations, but attitudes of a redeemed, transformed heart.

Rather than shedding blood, we shed flesh.

Here are four key truths from the trail. As then, our sacrifices today should be:

1.       Pure

“Let him offer a male without blemish” (Leviticus 1:3), meaning “compete, whole, entire, wholesome, innocent, unimpaired, having integrity” (Strong’s H8549 tamiym). It’s talking about perfection! The law couldn’t achieve it (Hebrews 7:19), and neither can we on our own (Galatians 3:3), but Christ, through the single offering of Himself, “perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Thus, as a living sacrifice, we must come before the Lord with a pure heart, “free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt; genuine, blameless, innocent, unstained with the guilt of anything” (Strong’s G2513, Matthew 5:8, katharos). For me, this means continually laying the motives and attitudes of my heart before the Lord, remaining vulnerable to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, holding up the Bible as my standard, confessing my sins, and seeking His forgiveness.

2.       Voluntary 

“He shall offer it of his own voluntary will” (Leviticus 1:3). As God’s chosen people, He asked the Israelites and He asks us to bring Him our sacrifice of our own free will, even when it’s difficult. Even when we don’t feel like it or can’t see what good it will accomplish. As fire consumed Old Testament sacrifices, the same is true for us, "for everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt” (Mark 9:49). Our faith will be tested by fire (I Peter 1:7), as will our works (I Corinthians 3:13). Therefore, may we “walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Ephesians 5:2). He is our example. May the sacrifices we make on the altar of our lives be “a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).

3.       Personal

“And he shall put his hand upon head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him” (Leviticus 1:4). When any man brought an offering to the Lord, he himself had to lay his hand upon its head, kill it (verse five), skin it, and cut it into its pieces (verse six). In the same way, each one of us must do the hard things required to live in submission to our heavenly Father. No one else can do that for us. No one can be our living sacrifice but us.

4.    Extreme

Let us be in our offerings as the Israelites were in the building of the tabernacle, when the artisans doing the work report to Moses: “’The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.’ So Moses gave a commandment and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, ‘Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.’ And the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done – indeed too much” (Exodus 36:6-7). Their free will offerings exceeded what was needed for the tabernacle. We cannot out give God! Whatever He desires, when we respond in obedience, no matter the cost, no matter how impossible it appears to us, He will always supply all we need and then some. Imagine if God’s entire church, as defined by those who belong to Him rather than the four walls of the buildings in which we worship, gave as the Israelites gave and it was simply too much.

Our sacrifices today will be inconvenient. Uncomfortable. It’s not the suffering that pleases God; it’s the obedience. "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams” (I Samuel 15:22). And just as Jesus learned obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8), so will we.

That is why it’s still called sacrifice.

“And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25), cooperating with His work in us, becoming more obedient, our heart attitudes and resulting actions more pleasing to Him. A living sacrifice.

Lord, help us to serve You in “the newness of the Spirit and not the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:6), being transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we may prove what is that is Your good and acceptable and perfect will (Romans 12:2), a sweet aroma as we become more wholly Yours today.

Shauna Wallace

Holy His

 

My Wicked Tongue

As soon as I said it, conviction seized me. My daughter stood there, shell shocked, wounded by my words. Without saying a word, her expression spoke of the betrayal she felt. I hurt just remembering. Tears threaten. I don’t even remember why I was so frustrated with her, which shows you how important it must have been. I can guess it was probably over disobedience, or arguing, or negotiating, or complaining. Chances are I was neglecting my responsibility to hold my kids accountable to first-time obedience, or I was slacking in holding them to the Lord’s standards. And in frustration, I let what was in my heart escape my tongue, and my daughter was a casualty of the war that rages inside of me. I do remember exactly what I said. Even though I asked for forgiveness, the words can’t be taken back. How I wish they could! I pray she doesn’t remember so clearly. That the Lord in His great mercy and love takes an eraser to her memory and wipes clean the sinful words of her mother. The one who is supposed to lift her up and encourage her in the Lord. Oh, Father, forgive me! Not just for that instance, but for every time I’ve used my words as a weapon against my family and those I love.

The temptation of the tongue is great. It relentlessly lurks in idle time, uncomfortable silence, anger, hurt, revenge, pride, humor, frustration, confusion, uncertainty, ambition, competition, insecurity, bitterness, discontentment, and unforgiveness. It thrives when we allow a controlling, critical, or judgmental spirit to rule our hearts. When we succumb to the lure of a loose tongue, the consequences are deadly. Oh Lord, I need Your word! I need Your rescue. I need Your grace. My tongue betrays what’s in my heart, and my eyes witness the ugly truth. Out of the outflow of my heart my mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34).

Wrong words have found a comfortable place in my family. All kinds of wrong words. “Unwholesome talk,” as Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) calls it. “Rotten, putrefied, corrupted by one and no longer fit for use, worn out, of poor quality, bad, unfit for use, worthless” talk, if you look it up in the Greek (www.blueletterbible.com, Strong’s G4550). Other versions call it corrupt communication (KJV), corrupt word (NKJV), foul or abusive language (NLT), corrupting talk (ESV).

My default response is to address the words. “I’ll do better next time.” Or, “I just have to hold my tongue.” Or I’ll memorize a scripture and quote it to myself and my kids. Better yet, we’ll all memorize it and that will fix the problem. I’ll make the kids role play appropriate words. Yeah, that will do it! Not that there’s anything wrong with any of that. We should make an effort to discipline our tongues. We should memorize scripture that we might not sin against God (Ps. 119:11). We should teach and train our kids to say things in a God-honoring way. But the spoken symptoms simply signal a deeper problem. In me. In my family. A heart issue that requires a gospel solution. Only the blood of Jesus can satisfy the penalty our words deserve. Only a genuine love for Him, birthed out of gratitude for the magnitude of what He’s done for us, can compel us to submit to his scalpel. Only a desperate realization of our destitute state without Him. Remembering that Jesus died for all sin for all time. He died for all the things we’ve said and the things we will say. He satisfied the demands of a holy God. In Christ, covered by His blood, we have too.

Our salvation is secure. Our sanctification is ongoing.

We need the Great Physician to be our great heart surgeon, cutting out tumors and healing sickness and disease in that part of us that is “the centre and seat of spiritual life; the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors; of the understanding, the faculty and seat of the intelligence; of the will and character” (www.blueletterbible.com, Matt. 12:34, heart, Strong’s G2588).

Unless the Lord changes our hearts, our tongues will tattle. In all things, including the secrets of my inner life. When James asks me for help, and I ask him if he can’t see the piles on my desk that need my attention, is that a tongue problem or a heart problem? Both, yes. But the root of the issue is in my heart. If my heart was truly submitted to the Lord, to serving James and being his help mate, my words would reflect that. When I’m resisting James’ authority and he puts his foot down, only to have his wife salute him with the words, “Heil Hitler,” is that a tongue or a heart problem? When I critically comment on a person’s clothing or look, is that a tongue or a heart problem? When I rant and rave about how someone has offended me, is that a tongue or a heart problem? When a child needs my help at the most inopportune time, and I let out an exasperated sigh, is that a tongue or a heart problem? When I get frustrated with my family and my words fly like daggers, is that a tongue or a heart problem? When I don’t know what to do in a relationship, and I talk to other people about it, is that a tongue or a heart problem? (More on that Monday.)

Lord, exert Your holy influence on my heart! Please, Lord, give Your grace that turns me to Jesus, keeps me there, strengthens me, and increases my faith, knowledge, and love for You, and compels me to walk in Your ways.

When our hearts change, so will our words.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). No matter what You find, Lord, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10). I beseech You, Lord, to strengthen me to obey Ephesians 4:29-32:

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Heavenly Father, I do not despise Your discipline. I am not discouraged by your rebuke. For you discipline the ones You love. (Heb. 12:5-6). I welcome Your discipline, Lord.

May the Lord discipline each of us right where we need it in order to become wholly His today.

Shauna Wallace

Holy His

Chipped Nails in Jesus' Stocking

I now know why I don’t polish my nails. Our church had its annual women’s ministry cookie exchange last week, and being new to the church, I looked forward to getting to know some of the women. Eager to make a good impression, I crossed all my beauty t’s and dotted all my preening i’s. You know how we do…we style our hair our favorite way, pick an outfit we love, and top it off with a great pair of shoes and the perfect accessories. That day had been crazy with back-to-back commitments, starting with a funeral, immediately followed by a birthday party, then to a Christmas dinner with dear friends, and finally to the cookie exchange. In between all the running around, I had to finish my seven dozen peppermint shortbread cookies, at which time the dish full of melted white chocolate chips slipped from my fingers and exploded all over my kitchen floor and cabinets. At some point during my harried day, I noticed the perfectly polished nails from my manicure several days earlier had become a jagged mess.  Instead of opting for my normal natural buffing, I went for it and had the nail technician paint my nails a sparkly pale pink for the holidays. Something out of the ordinary and fancy for this special time of year. And I do love to have polished nails, but since it only lasts about two days on my fingers, I don’t do it often because I know I won’t take the time to keep them looking nice. So, by the day of the cookie exchange, my nails looked more like tattered rags then shiny riches. I made a mental note to remove the polish before jetting off to the cookie exchange and promptly rushed toward my next deadline. Two days later, on Christmas Eve, I was in the shower and noticed my scruffy nails. I never removed the polish!

I don’t know if God speaks to you in the shower, but I have received some powerful revelations in that quiet, private place. Maybe it’s because it’s generally a time of total uninterrupted peace, and I can reflect on my day, consider what’s in my heart, and look to the Lord for answers. As I looked at my nails and wished I would have removed the polish the moment I noticed their state of disrepair, I thought about obedience. When the Lord tells us something to do through the Bible, or by speaking to our spirit, or by revealing His will through a sermon, conversation, or circumstance, He wants us to obey right away. When we put it off and disobey, don’t we find ourselves full of regret?  When I don’t do what the Lord tells me to do immediately, I am likely to stare down a state of disrepair at some point in the near future. How many times have I regretted my willful resistance to a heavenly directive? My silly nails truly are no big deal. But putting off God…that’s a big deal.

Being that it was Christmas Eve, later that night, my family enjoyed our annual tradition of sharing the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Jesus and what His birth means for us in His death, burial, and resurrection. After that, we all present a gift to Jesus. The gift is an area of our lives we believe the Lord is asking us to commit more completely to Him. We write it on a card and share it with the family so we can pray for each other throughout the year, and then we place the card in a stocking for Jesus. Before we present the current year’s gifts, we each read last year’s card and share any progress we made. Guess what my gift to Jesus was last year? You got it. Obedience! I wrote: “Jesus, I will obey without question every time.” How did I do? Overall, the Lord made great progress in me toward total obedience. But on the matter of immediacy, I still have a long way for Him to go with me. But I think this year’s gift is the answer. I gave Him my love and adoration. John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Then in verse twenty-one, Jesus says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

For the last several months, the Lord has been pressing on my heart that loving Him is the answer to every wrong condition of my heart. It is the answer to every habitual sin, every despicable attitude of my heart, every misdirected belief system, every disappointing relationship, every misplaced desire, every frustrating challenge. He’s showing me the reason Jesus named loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind as THE first and great commandment (Matt. 22:35-38): If we love Him, we will do what He says. If we’re doing what He says because we love Him more than anything in this world, we won’t be doing the wrong things that reflect our love for self and the things of this world. If He is our first love, He puts everything else into order in our lives. Love truly does cover a multitude of sins.

So I put my chipped nails in Jesus’ stocking, and this year, I long to love Jesus and my heavenly Father to the point of immediate obedience no matter what.

What is your gift to Jesus for 2012? Whatever it is, I pray you become more wholly His this year.

Shauna Wallace
Holy His   

obeDIEnce

I had never seen it before, and then a pastor pointed it out in a Sunday sermon: the word DIE is smack in the middle of obedience. Do you see it? It's not just semantics. It's reality. In order to truly follow after Jesus, we must die first, just like He did.

His obedience was to the point of death on the cross (Phil. 2:20). Our obedience is centered on the death of self -- the death of our flesh! The death of what I want to be doing instead of what He's asking me to do. The death of having things my way. The death of pursuing the things of this world. The death of being right. The death of pride. The death of personal aspirations. The death of luxury and pleasure. The death of having my own time to do what I want. The death of fitting in. The death of looking good. Sometimes even the death of a eight hours of sleep every night!

Jesus Himself said, "He who finds his life with lose it, but he who loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt. 10:39). As the Lord completes His work in us to become holy as He is holy, our flesh must die in order that we might fully life. Romans 8:13 tells us, "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." It is God who will complete the work He starts in us. He turns our hearts toward Him, but we must respond with obedience. We must respond with the willingness and desire He places in us to follow Him, no matter what. As He draws us to the altar, we must surrender to His loving arms that lift us up in order to lay us down, a living sacrifice.

How do we arrive at that place of uninhibited sacrifice? The path to obedience is a simple one. It's not self-determination or will power. It's not through resolve or promises. It's not by doing all the right things or following a formula for right living. It's not reading every spiritual self-help book or following a strict to-do list. It's not reading the Bible more, praying more, worshipping more, serving more, or going to church more. It is falling in love with Him. The Lord is showing me that when my focus is loving rather than doing, the doing naturally follows. But if my focus is on the doing, I fall into a works mentality, and it becomes about me and not about Him. You see, when we love Him, our motivating desire will be to please Him. Funny thing is, as we're falling in love with Him, we will do all those things listed above, but it will be the result of our falling in love with Jesus rather than a means to manipulate a life of obedience by our own efforts.

Will you join me in falling in love with Jesus today? Will you spend some time reflecting on what He's done for you? Will you spend some time reading the word and learning more about Him? Will you spend some time talking honestly with the Father about where you are compared to where He wants you to be? Will you make it your heart's cry that the Lord would turn your heart more fully toward Him and give you the desperate love He wants you to have for Him?

May His transforming love draw you to the altar of obeDIEnce today.

Becoming wholly His,

Shauna Wallace