Under Old Testament ceremonial law, offerings
and sacrifices were to be made unto Yahwah for various reasons. Some of these
were animal sacrifices, brought to the priests to be slaughtered, and offered
as sin offerings unto the Lord. The priest placed certain portions of the
offering, into the hands of the individual whose offering it was, and in turn he
would ‘wave’ them before the Lord. This was significant of relinquishing the
gift unto God and of abandoning the sin associated with the sacrifice. Portions
were then burned, and other portions became food for the priests and their
families. The entire sacrificial system was set up by God for Israel, to
foreshadow the ultimate sacrifice of Christ at Calvary. It was in a type, to
represent the offering of the ‘Lamb of God’, which takes away the sin of the world.
As we come to the cross, inspect its horror and yet admire its glory, we
recognise that it is through Jesus alone that our sins can be forgiven, covered
and taken away! Like the offering giver of old, we must relinquish, not so much
the offering, for that has been given by God, on our behalf, but
ourselves. It is in this willing
abandonment of our desires, preferences and self to God that we are able to take
upon us the salvation, the Saviour has supplied for us. This giving over is
known as repentance in the Bible. It is a willing turning away from our sin and
ways and accepting the path God has set for us. Repentance is the surrender of
the reins of our lives to God, and turning away from the sins which have beset
us. By this action we are saying that we will no longer insist on our wants or
the desires of our flesh, but that from here on we will observe and obey the
law of God and do His will. No one else can do this for us, we must come before
the Lord ourselves and ‘with our own hands’ so to speak, bring this offering of
self, unto the Lord. Repentance precedes the forgiveness of our sins in the
waters of baptism, and the regeneration and new life we are imparted through
the infilling of the Spirit of God!
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion
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