An offering made by fire

I was listening to Leviticus today as I drove to work this morning.  It listed the sacrifices that had to be made for atonement, peace, wave, sin, etc. I have read this information before and always thank God that He sent His Son to serve as the ultimate sacrifice. I am grateful we do not have to continue making these sacrifices on alters.

However, as I listened today there was one phrase that caught my attention. “An offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” As I heard this, my mind immediately thought of I Sam. 15:22 “But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

We no longer have to go to the temple and make regular repentance as they did in the Old Testament. However, we are still suppose to make offerings, and not just the financial kind. Our life is to be lived as an offering (Phil 2:17) for the Lord.

When we go through tests and trials, we are under fire. When we are obedient to God through the trial, walking through by His grace, and don’t walk in the flesh when these times come – our obedience, our offering made by fire is a sweet aroma to the Lord.

I wish I could say that when I am under fire, that I walk by the grace of God, That I give an offering, a sweet smelling aroma to the Lord – but I can’t. However, I know that I can now, because God’s word never asks us to do something that He doesn’t give us the grace to do.