March 30

Psalm 51 Verse 17: Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice; but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.

I sure am glad I do not have to kill a lamb and burn it as an offering to God. I do understand that I must sacrifice my own will to God and let Him guide my life, however. My own desires and wishes are secondary to the requirements of God for eternal life. Jesus comprehended the need to be sacrificed for us on the cross so we could be freed from our sins. If a person is willing to go to such extremes to help us, why can’t we humans be more sacrificing of our greed and self-indulgence to help each other? Politically, we argue about freedom to choose, taxes, education, medical coverage, unions, the military, invasions of other countries, etc. We take a stance and refuse to budge. Where the sacrifice in any of that? Had any of us understood that sacrificing a little for the good of all benefits each of us, maybe we wouldn’t in such a quandary as a country. I fear the United States is on a crash course toward becoming less than influential in the world. Individually, we can sacrifice for our friends, but can we give up something important for someone we really don’t know? If God demanded sacrifice of us, would we even realize the need to let go? I don’t think so. Since I can only control what I do, I will listen to God’s will for me and sacrifice whatever He demands of me, it just won’t be burnt.