Text: Matthew 5:24 NKJV
Further Reading: Matthew 5:23-26
leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 5:24 NKJV
MESSAGE
God will not judge us for what we have done but for why we have done it. With God, motive speaks louder than the acts themselves. The Bible gave us many instances of God judging the motive and one of them is the story of the poor woman who gave her mite.
This widow gave her last and God commended her for giving the most. In God’s arithmetic, the quantity or size of what is given is not the issue but the largeness of the heart from which the giving comes.
Many give so much and God would not acknowledge whatever they have brought. No wonder the Bible says, let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
II Corinthians 9:7 NKJV
In the book of Genesis chapter 4, the Bible told us the story of Cain and Abel, but the big takeaway was that God accepted Abel and rejected Cain. We have noted in one of our previous lessons that God accepts the man first before his offering. If your heart is not right, you can be sure that God will not have anything to do with your sacrifice offering.
Your relationship with God must be intact because the Bible also says that the sacrifice of a sinner is an abomination to God,(Proverbs 15:8). The reason why the offering of many believers will not be accepted is that their heart is not right with God. Therefore you must check and see how you will smoothen things out with God. If your heart is bad, God will not take your offering, no matter how fat it is.
The other reason why God will not accept the offering of some believers is u forgiveness. The Bible told us in our text of the day that if your brother offends you, and you want to offer something to God, you must first reconcile with your brother before attempting to bring any offering to God.
No wonder the Bible says in Psalms 24:3-4 that only a person who has clean hands and a pure heart can access the holy hill of the Lord. Is your heart right with God? Are you in a good relationship with your fellow humans? You must check your life today, or else your sacrifice will be in vain.
REFLECTION
‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze.
Exodus 35:5 NKJV
Your offering must be from a willing heart or else it is not acceptable to God. What you give is not as important as the heart with which you are giving.
PRAYER
Father, please renew my heart by your word, so that my services and offerings will be acceptable unto you.
