God don't want your Stuff, He wants YOU!

Prov 21:27 ERV) God hates sacrifices from the wicked, especially when their reason for offering them is evil.

This morning we continue in the book of Proverbs.
In Solomon's time offering sacrifices to God was often a very public event. For example, under king Hezekiah, during a celebration of PASSOVER, the Bible says, "King Hezekiah gave the people 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep and goats for offerings, and the officials donated 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep and goats" (2 Chron 30:24). Just think about the logistics involved in killing and offering 2,000 bulls and 17,000 sheep and goats. This was no private matter. And notice that most of the offerings came from people other than the king. These were people that wanted to publically be involved in the worship of their Lord. Under Solomon himself, during the dedication of the temple, the Bible says, "Solomon offered to the LORD a peace offering of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats" (1st Kings 8:63). Once again, this was a HUGE ordeal. Now, the public nature of this type of giving was not a bad thing in and of itself, but your heart needed to be pure. God doesn't want your stuff, He wants YOU!

I believe the Lord Himself, through the psalmist, said it best in the 50th psalm, saying: "Bring My faithful people to Me-those who made a covenant with Me by giving sacrifices... I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer. But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. For all the animals of the forest are Mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is Mine and everything in it. Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats? Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on Me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give Me glory." But God says to the wicked: "Why bother reciting My decrees and pretending to obey My covenant? For you refuse My discipline and treat My words like trash. When you see thieves, you approve of them, and you spend your time with adulterers. Your mouth is filled with wickedness, and your tongue is full of lies. You sit around and slander your brother-your own mother's son... Repent, all of you who forget Me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you. But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors Me. If you keep to My path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God."

The Message Bible paraphrase of this verse reads: "Religious performance by the wicked stinks; it's even worse when they use it to get ahead." Many today give for different reasons. Some give for tax purposes, others to be seen, others to be recognized by the community, others to promote or even repair their public-image, and then there are many of us who simply give because we love the Lord.

So what does this mean to you ? It means that the Father willingly and openly accepts your offering when you give it with pure hands and a clean heart, but if you are giving to be seen, for public recognition, simply for tax purposes, or to promote some wicked agenda, then you are better off promoting your business some other way. The Lord detests the offerings of the wicked and they become a stench in his nostrils. So if you are not going to give for the right reasons, keep your money, the Lord doesn't need it, He wants YOU, not your stuff!

Father, I sincerely and eternally thank You for sending Jesus to die in my stead. I will never cease to praise Your name for saving me from eternal damnation. The life that I now live is Yours. All that I have is Yours. All that I want to be is wrapped up, tied up, and tangled up in You. All the earthly possessions I have are simply resources that You have blessed me to oversee. I don't have anything that is bigger than You, so I freely give as You lead me to give, and I do so with clean hands and pure heart. Because my heart is in my giving I know that my offerings will always be pleasing to You! In Jesus' name. Amen!