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Read: 1 Samuel 15:22
If I have to ask you one question, if you have to choose between sacrifice and obedience, what will you choose?Often we take pride of the word sacrifice. And a lot of people would just brag about it that they have sacrificed a lot. It seems that the word sacrifice is of a greater importance than obedience. But the Lord says in 1 Samuel 15:22, "To obey is better than sacrifice."
'But Samuel replied: Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."' 1 Samuel 15:22
Just a brief introduction of 1 Samuel 15: This is the final battle between the Philistines - this is the final wave of the battle. In this moment, king Saul just really disobeyed the Lord and spared some people especially those things things that are pleasing to the eyes and they saved this certain king that they seek there.
And suddenly, Samuel came to the picture. He asked, "What did you do with these things? When in fact the Lord said kill everything and don not spare anything." And King Saul said, "I spared this things because i want these thing to be sacrificed to the Lord." That was why this particular verse came in: "Obedience is better than sacrifice."
I just have to share it to you that when we take hold, when we choose to sacrifice rather than obeying God, our sacrifice is that of 'self-service'.
What does it mean to say that your sacrifice become a self-service?
A lot of time we this truth that when we make mistakes, when we commit sins, we try to bargain with the Lord with our sacrifices. We can say , "Lord, I sacrificed 'this' a lot and I give this to you." Some people thought that when they sacrifice something to the Lord, their sins are already erased or something that they can cover it up. That's the usual truth that we, people, are embracing. And the point is our sacrifice doesn't fall on God. Actually, the point of our sacrifice falls on our goodness. That means we try to pay our sins thru that. A lot of times also, when we choose sacrifice other than of obedience is that our sacrifice becomes weightless. In the very beginning, the reason why we make sacrifice is because it should be the obedience that took Jesus Christ to sacrifice himself on the cross. In the same manner, He also have called us to obey the Lord rather than to sacrifice.
Take note that the essence of our sacrifice is our obedience. So the measurement of our sacrifice is not of what we do but what we give up to the Lord, what He called us to do. And a lot of times, the Lord will not call us to obey on the certain level that it pleases us. The Lord will call us to obey the things that is beyond our eyes can see, beyond our feelings can perceive, beyond everything that we can do. It's easy to spare something, but it's not easy to obey the Lord.
It says here in 1 Samuel, when he asked Saul, "What is it like this? Why did you not kill these?
Why did you spare things like the cattle that are very fat? Why did you spare the king?" He said, "Because the people are requesting to that. Because my people are asking for that." So a lot of times, what dictates our sacrifice is not our obedience that we give to God but the voice outside. Sometimes, it's the voice that's coming from the outside, and not the voice within.
I don't know right now what's your reason of obeying the Lord, what's really the thing that push you to obey the Lord. Is it your love for the Lord? Or is it something else. It's my prayer that the basis of your sacrifice is your obedience in the Lord. If we obey the Lord, we could no longer account the sacrifice we give to the Lord. It is something that you would never forget. For you it may be of nothing, but if you did it for the Lord, it is already a form of sacrifice. The thing that we should sacrifice is our obedience.
Also, if we obey the Lord, there will be no problem with that. May it be big or small, the basis of our sacrifice is our obedience in the Lord. If you obey the Lord, you don't reason it our for things and events that happened in your life. If you obey the Lord, you can give everything to the Lord. That's the heart of Christianity. - our obedience to the Lord.
Now remember that our spiritual maturity also has something to do with our obedience. In every aspect of our lives, the Lord's call is not to sacrifice but to obey. In terms of our giving, He calls us not to sacrifice, but He calls us to obey because it's really the heart that matters. In the aspect of waiting for our lifetime partner, He doesn't call us to sacrifice, but He calls us to obey. And part of that obedience is waiting. You on't have to brag it to the person you prayed for that you sacrificed a lot, "I prayed for you. I sacrificed my time." It's should not be like that. It's your obedience. It the Lord tells you to wait, then you wait. When the Lord tells you to give it up, then it's time to give up, it's time to release. That's how it its. That's the reality of our lives. You maintain the peace that comes from the Lord the moment you obey Him. I know waiting is not that easy, it's actually the hardest thing to do. But you can keep your peace and you can keep your pacing of life when you obey the Lord.
If I am to choose, I would rather choose obedience than sacrifice. I don't know right now what is calling you to obey. In what aspect is God calling you to obey? Is God calling you to obey in terms of forgiveness? Is God calling you to obey through the ministry? Is God calling you to obey in waiting? Is God calling you to pray for someone you don't like? Is God calling you in greater heights in the ministry? Are you willing to obey Him? So, I would always pray that you take the joy in obedience than the pain of sacrifice. I always believe that when you are willing to give up to the Lord, if you are willing to obey Him, it's not actually painful but it is joy.
The way I perceive sacrifice, it is so painful. But if you obey the Lord, what pushes you to do it is the joy that comes from Him. So always remember that when it is painful, it's sacrifice, it's not obedience. But if what you have is so big and importance for you, and you heard the call to give it up and felt great joy, I think you are in the right way. So I hope that you will not embrace the pain of sacrifice but I want you to embrace the joy of obedience. I want everyone of us to be joyful in the Lord. May no one be in pain but in joy. That's God's promise: "I will give you joy, the joy that will not ran out".
Recently, I also have to choose between sacrifice and obedience - to leave my family out there in Zamboanga, to leave my comfortable life, to leave my comfortable life. For me, it's not that easy but the Lord says, "I want you to embrace the joy of obedience. I want you to obey. Do not just try to cover up things because what makes you joyful in your Christian life, what makes you excited on the things that you do in your life is your obedience. I took the role of obedience than of sacrifice.
So right now, I encourage everyone to just try to obey the Lord. Sometimes, He ask you a little. Sometimes, he asks you of greater things.
Photo by: Nathaniel Callanta
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