The Sacrifice Acceptable to God
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (NRSV)
When you see a man walking down the street with a bunch of flowers, do you ever wonder why he bought them? Out of a spontaneous act of love, for a special occasion … or as an act of contrition?
Scenario: husband and wife argue. He realises he’s been a bit of an oaf, so he buys her some flowers after work to make it up to her. How many times has that happened? It’s probably worth billions each year to the flower industry.
It’s an odd little ritual when you think about it, but it arises out of the God-inspired idea that a sacrifice is required to set a wrong aright. It’s a small vignette, if you will, of the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus gave on our behalf to pay for our sin, to expunge it from the record against us in order to set us right with God.
So when you’ve wronged God and go to Him to ask for forgiveness yet again (as King David of Israel did after committing adultery and murder), what act of contrition, what sacrifice do you in your heart of hearts feel as though you need to make?
David knew the answer as he prayed for God’s forgiveness and the restoration of their relationship.
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (NRSV)
No, God’s not looking for you to dump an extra fistful of cash in the offering – the proverbial bunch of flowers – or to become a monk. It goes much deeper than that.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, He will not despise.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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