From The Desk of:

Always On Fire, Burning, And Smelling Sweet

The church is made up of the saved; we are saved because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross on Calvary; therefore, we must be a people with a sacrificial mindset that correlates with our actions. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). You are the sacrifice that God desires to be presented to Him and the world daily. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). 

    When we sacrifice, it is important first to give the totality of who we are to God, which includes your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37-40). How can you give yourself to others if you have not surrendered and given yourself to the Lord? For instance, if I do not love God, how can I possibly love others? 1 John 4:20-21 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20-21)? A sacrifice is needed when I am driven to hate. I sacrifice my hate that my flesh desires and am to offer love to those who need it and to God.

    Not everyone prospers the same way. Under the Law of Moses, God taught that when a sacrifice was to be made, it must be without blemish (Lev. 22:14-25). When people haven’t sacrificed themselves to God, they could have herds of cattle and offer God the least desirable one if they offer anything. When you belong to God, what you give and do will represent how you value God based on the knowledge that He has been kind, loving, and generous. He gave Himself, so definitely, I can give of myself.

     An immature or new Christian might not fully understand what giving yourself to God means. That is why it is difficult to attend Bible class or evening service; it is a struggle to give God more than you pay for a meal (Texas Roadhouse gets $107.00, and offering for Sunday is $40.00. Once I entirely sacrifice myself to God, those internal debates and conversations end. There are no debates over whether I will forgive somebody and help those in need.

     Sacrifices to God burned, and they smelled good to Him. Therefore, continue to burn in your life and bring sweetness everywhere you go. Reminding people as you live of the salvation and terror of the Lord. “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life (2 Cor. 2:14-16).

©2/4/2023 Courtney Henderson