ICS Daily Devotions
Nothing but the Best
Romans 13:7 (NKJV) Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour.
There are different levels of authorities starting from God, such as the head of the family and the government. We are to fear, respect and honour those whom God has put in place so that there will be peace and harmony in the different levels of society, but most importantly, we are to revere and honour God as the highest authority in our lives.
Malachi 1:7-8 (NKJV) “You offer defiled food on my altar, but say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’ And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favourably?”
Of all the people, the priests who were appointed, taught and instructed to minister to the Lord on behalf of the people offered up blemished offerings. What an insult to God!
God used the example of bringing gifts to a governor to illustrate the point. If we know better than to give something defective or sub-standard to a person of status, how much more should we not bring unblemished gifts before God? The priests were taught what was God’s requirement and how to approach a holy, just, and righteous God through the Leviticus sacrificial system, so they should honour God by giving Him nothing but the best.
Leviticus 1:3 (NKJV) ‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord.
The sacrificial system foreshadowed what needs to be done to bring peace between God and men. It pointed to the coming of the Messiah and His work of redemption for us. In the New Testament, sheep were intentionally raised for the Passover and inspected before they were sacrificed. Likewise, God prepared His best through His covenant with Abraham with the intention of sending into the world the ultimate sacrifice who would take away the sins of the world—Jesus was without sin.
John 18:38 (NKJV) Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all”.
Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord was intentionally sent, without sin, and prepared to be made sin for us. He was found to be faultless by Pilate, just like only those sheep with no blemish were allowed to be sacrificed. Therefore, we should worship and honour God with our lives, including everything that we have. God demands and expects the best!
Sermon Series: Reflections
