Obedience is Better than Sacrifice (1Sam. 15:22b)

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This is a familiar topic, and as most of us know, it originated as a result of Saul’s disobedience to God. Some of us know the story; and also know the meaning of obedience, and sacrifice based on the story. But I must admit that in our activities, we tend to sacrifice this truth on the altar of pretense and ignorance.

Saul’s Disobedience

The entire chapter 15 of 1 Samuel that explains this topic points out that:

1.      God told Saul through Prophet Samuel to go and destroy the Amalekites and all that they own.

2.    Paul went and destroyed the Amalekites but spared their King and the best of their animals (an act of disobedience to God)

3.     When Samuel confronted King Saul, his reason for disobedience was that the plunder are to be sacrificed to God at Gilgal

4.     When Samuel told King Saul a piece of God’s mind, King Saul confessed the real reason for his disobedience – he was afraid of the people and so he gave in to what they want, he wanted the approval of people rather than the approval of God.

King Saul had heard the word of the Lord but thought he had a better idea. He was aware of what he was doing yet he went ahead to disobey God and wanted to use sacrifice as a defense mechanism. But the question is: Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

We cannot buy God

When we make sacrifices to God, we kind of see it as a way of buying whatever we want to get from God according to our needs which could be child, husband, wealth, etc. This makes us think that He owes us, so we sit and wait for what we ordered from God to arrive.

Then, before the birth of Jesus Christ, they used Peace offering, Burnt offering, the Sin-offering, Tithes, Duties, etc to appease God.  But in the present, it is First fruit, Thanksgiving, Vow, Tithes, etc. There is nothing wrong with offerings but they are not God’s priority. To God, obedience is better than sacrifice. God's salvation is freely given to us by our obedience to the lordship of Jesus Christ, not through our sacrifice.

We are as guilty as King Saul

We have many King Saul today in our worship centers. People who engage in fetish activities to destroy their fellow human beings, yet go to church with fat offerings, People who steal public funds, yet donate for church buildings, people who bear grudges and work against their fellow human beings as an act of jealousy, yet they sing cheering praises, serve in the prayer group or other church activities, people who refuse to work hard for God to bless the works of their hands but pray away their time, expecting God to release magical money, car, house, etc. Such people are all King Saul who thinks they can bribe God and cut corners to receive salvation and blessings. God is not a merchandise, He cannot be bought and He cannot be sold.

God is not interested and cannot be appeased by the magnificent cathedrals and churches we build; he is interested in the souls of men. Those cathedrals and church buildings shall be useless to Him if the worshippers are headed to hell. There is no short cut to total submission/obedience to God; we cannot bribe Him.

Just like King Saul, some men of God pretend to be interested in the souls of politicians and wealthy men; they become diplomatic in administering the Word of salvation to them when they are present; with the excuse that they may chase them away from the house of God if they try to use the gospel of salvation to appeal to their conscience; But in the actual sense, they don’t want them to go with their money. 

The Sacrifice of Obedience

The best sacrifice we can offer God is the sacrifice of our body and soul - to live a holy and righteous life; such a sacrifice is an act of worship to the Lord.  In 1 Peter 2:9, it is written, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; It is also written in Romans 12: 1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

We are worthless before God when we try to appease Him with material things knowing that he owns the world and everything in it. It is written in Mathew 5: 23 and 24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift". Sacrifice flows out of obedience. A sacrifice that does not flow out of obedience is disobedience and is not pleasing to the Lord. God will appreciate our offerings and tithe when we come to Him with a clean heart.

Religion is not Obedience to God

Some of us are so religious that most times, we tend to confuse obedience to God with our religious rituals like attending all church activities, serving in the church, following the order of service, observing the holy days, etc. It is written in Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace, you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” We can’t earn or work our way into Heaven.

Conclusion

This is a challenging topic and I hope that after reading, not only ourselves but people around us will feel the impact and learn to choose obedience to God rather than empty sacrifices.                                                             

EASTER WHISPERS

Hallelujah! Jesus Christ Arose and is Alive Forever. Celebrate Him!

We celebrate Easter and get carried away by the events of the season, but we really do not think about the ideal ideas behind God's method of redemption; which seems foolish and fictitious to so many people.

On that Good Friday, on an old rugged Cross, the emblem of suffering and shame that stood on a hill far away, Jesus was crucified to His death. He left His glory above, to bear it to dark Calvary. You remember that song by George Bernard? (Paraphrase mine)  “From His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did ever such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?” This is another good one from Isaac Watts. But on the day of His resurrection, “vainly they watched His bed, vainly they sealed the dead, death could not keep his prey, for He tore the bars away, and Up from the grave He arose, With a mighty triumph over His foes, He arose a Victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever with His saints to reign. He arose! Hallelujah He arose”! This is from Easter most loved Hymn “Low in the Grave He Lay” by Robert Lowry (paraphrase mine).

Easter is a day mapped out by Christians all over the world to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus after His crucifixion on the cross of Calvary as He foretold His disciples. Easter is the grand-finale of the passion of Christ. His teachings and miracles were the theories; His crucifixion and death on the cross are the practicals and production processes of His love and passion for us while His resurrection is the end product, evidence or the confirmation. "Christianity begins where religion ends...with the resurrection." (Herbert Booth Smith) "Easter says you can put truth in the grave but it won't stay there." (Clarence W. Hall)

Many scholars have come up with different events that led to Easter of which majority of the histories point to the fact that it came from a pagan figure called ‘Eastre’ who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. The festival as described was held during the spring equinox to honour the goddess whose symbol is the rabbit known as a symbol of fertility. This celebration is normally associated or focused on Easter eggs and all the fertility stuff.

Whatever the case may be, what we should understand is the fact that “the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof”. (Psalm 24:1) "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is mine, and all its fullness. (Psalm 50:12) Even the physical things created by man, together with man’s wisdom and ideas all originated from Him. The fact that some creatures turn His good intentions to evil will not stop Him from enjoying the works of His hands as he deem fit. He can use anybody or anything and can convert any event or situation to His own glory and nobody can question Him. So whether Easter is a pagan idea or not, the fact remains that God has taken back the glory that belong to Him.

Is God Not A Fool To Accept Such Inhumane Death?

We were not there from the beginning when God created the heavens and earth and therefore do not know the proactive measures, standards, principles and ideologies He has set for Himself to guide Him. I feel we are also possessed by His nature and that is why we set rules, principles, etc for ourselves to help us function well on planet earth. It is therefore not for us to question His ways and why He has to send Jesus to redeem mankind through suffering and death. Just thinking……., may be, that is the measure He has established from the beginning and found that it is the best way to redeem mankind; and it has really worked. He arose with countless benefits; keep reading!

The dignity, freedom and authority of man as well as the friendship man enjoyed with God in the beginning were all stolen by the devil at the Garden of Eden. Jesus descended into hell, unlocked the gates of hell, recovered all that man lost and rose from the dead with them. The Zoe that died in Adam was resurrected in Jesus. Today, Easter reminds us that once again we are friends with God and free to use the authority he has given us to His glory. We pay or sacrifice something to get what we need. Jesus sacrificed to give us back our heritage from God that was stolen.

“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it”. (Col 2:15) His resurrection disarmed the principalities and powers and restored the dignity of man hence, the disciples of Jesus then and now had reason and courage to continue where Jesus stopped. Because Jesus arose, we can defend ourselves in His name and fight the good fight of faith and come out victoriously.

Principalities and powers, without knowing that they are fulfilling all righteousness, crucified and killed Jesus. The guarding of the grave and the seal that was put on a big stone at the entrance of the tomb are all indications that the devil wants to make sure that the plan of redemption was frustrated. Therefore the resurrection brought the principalities and powers to their knees. They were totally confused because all their philosophies have been brought to naught and their aim defeated. At resurrection, Jesus proved to the world/principalities and powers that indeed, He is the Firstborn of creation. “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation”. (Col. 1:15) “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy”. (Col. 1:18) There has been commotion in the dark world ever since. They fought Joseph the same way, to ruin his destiny but he ended up as a minister in Pharaoh’s cabinet. In the same way they have fought many wonderful and talented musicians, writers, doctors, actors and actresses, etc. and while some were silenced, others lived above such challenges and attacks and their products are blessing the world.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ made it easy for us to be saved. It is an invitation to all even the worst sinners to accept salvation and thus have access to heaven if they so wish. “Come now and let us reason together saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool”. (Isaiah 1:18) “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus; because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Rom. 8:1-2) He paid in full the penalty for sin; purchasing eternal life for all who might believe. His death is more of Him saying: “I am guilty, take me and kill me, but let them go free. I take the responsibility of their sins”. It is now up to us to accept it or not.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ brought new life to Christians. It woke Christians up from slumber so they can overcome their weaknesses and face their challenges of being heirs of the kingdom. It brought a new dawn; restoring the true identity of man which is brought to limelight when man accepts Jesus as his Lord and personal Saviour. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new”. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The resurrection of Jesus Christ solidified our faith as Christians. Knowing that Jesus conquered death creates consciousness in us that we can move mountains. ‘He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm”. (Mathew 8:26) The disciples of Jesus couldn’t do much when they were with Him because of lack of faith; even when he died, they scattered but resurrection brought them together and motivated them to work wonders. The faith that triggered our desire to press on amidst all obstacles came in full force because of the resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus taught Christians that eternal life is certain. Today, if we lose a beloved one, we are certain and comforted by the fact that we shall meet again on the last day. “I am the resurrection and life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die”. (John 11:25-26). When at the point of death and if we have Jesus, we are certain that we shall live again because through Jesus we are sure that there is life after death. Isn’t that awesome?

Celebrating Easter is creating a legacy or leaving a memory behind for the present generations to carry on with. There is every reason to pass on the story of the sufferings and the death of Jesus Christ and the reasons behind this story to our children and the generations unborn. Celebrate Jesus Christ! He arose and is alive forever! Ideal olive wishes you a joyous Easter Celebrations.

Written by Olive Chinyere Amajuoyi

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IT SEEMS GOD HAS GONE ON VACATION

Does God Exist

A particular woman has been frequenting my office recently to ask for help from my boss. As she was explaining herself the last time she came, I took note of some rare facts. She said that she belong to a prayer group that prays everyday from morning to 12 noon at the stadium; that they pray for individuals and companies like ours. She said that God has been laying it in her heart to meet my boss for help; she complained of a whole lot of problems like house rent, children’s school fees, etc. She also said that her pastor encouraged her to come and ask for help from my boss. Like other days, she left without getting the help. As she exited from my office, somebody who overheard our discussion asked some bothering questions which are: Is praying a vocation? How can she spend all her time praying without any vocation? Why did God lay in her to meet somebody to solve her problems and not also lay it in the heart of that person to meet her needs?  If prayer is the only solution to her problems why has God not answered her, or has her God gone on vacation?

So many things are happening today that people are asking: where is God? Presently, it seems many Christians are living and taking shelter under false hope. Things have gone wrong and no one seems to have a solution. People are dying of hunger and hopelessness. Talents, potentials, destinies are wasting on daily basis because there is no means of nurturing them. Evil is reigning over good. The wicked prosper in their wickedness, and they are gradually recruiting the righteous ones who are helpless and defenseless into their circle of wickedness. Christians have resorted to prayer because of hardship, but it seems God has gone on vacation. The more seed they sow, the more problem they face. The more Christians pray, the more problems they incur; especially those who are not employed and who cannot start something on their own. To so many people, church has become a ponzi platform where you provide help to only pastors and and either get help by struggling afterwards or struggle in vain without any help. Fake pastors have infiltrated the building called church and their mouths are filled with ponzi messages instead of God's Word. The new face of MMM now parade the church buildings as pastors and men of God and people are confused on who to turn to for solution. Many people have asked over and over again: Where is God? Does He exist? If actually He exists, has He gone on vacation?

God Will Never Forsake His Children, any Logical Proof?

Isaiah 49:14-17 says: “But Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me. Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Your children hasten back and those who laid you to waste depart from you”.

With this assurance and many more of God’s steadfast love, care, protection and continuous presence with us, why does it seem that God’s promises of love is not realistic in the lives of the majority of His children? Why does it seem like God has forsaken us? God is not the problem but we are because we have refused to make His presence known.

How Big Is Our God?

No matter how fervent, long, much we pray, if we don’t put it to work, we will continue to feel that God has forsaken us. God has given us all the assurance we need, to convince us that He will never forsake us. God said He engraved us in the palms of His hands, meaning that He sees us every moment as long as He has His palms with Him. He expects us to act with His mandate in order to feel His presence and make His presence known. If David had gone into prayers alone to save the Israelites from the philistines, he would not have defeated Goliath. Prayer is the key but we need to put it to work, using God’s mandate. God cannot come down from heaven to do what we are supposed to do because He has people to do that.

Even The Heathens Experience The Testimonies We Give

There is no distinction between the righteous and the heathens as we can see today. We go to church to give testimonies about safe delivery of our children, the contracts we won, smooth graduation from high school, acquisition of a new car, house, etc. The heathens also enjoy those blessings and more. They enjoy the sunshine and the rain; they also enjoy life and sound health. Disasters that come to them like accidents, sickness, rape etc also affect the righteous. So what is the distinction?  People always ask. What is the evidence that God will never forsake His own children when they are the ones that suffer the most? The point here is that God is the God of all.  He said He will make a distinction between those who serve Him and those who do not (Exodus 8:23) and He never fail to keep His word. The problem is that we lack knowledge. The content of our prayer is poor. In Malachi 3:13-18, the righteous one seeing and hearing of the prosperity of the wicked never gave up on their God. They rather encouraged one another with the assurance that God will visit the wicked with their wickedness. They did not bless the wicked neither did they envy them. They talked God into making a distinction as He promised. We have refused to search the scriptures with understanding and report wickedness to God for justice. The heathens work hard to prosper in order to dominate the earth; the wicked intimidate the righteous and channel our God given resources to their selfish ventures while the righteous only pray and look up to heaven for miraculous manna and quails, and if such magical expectation was not met, we tend to be hopeless and frustrated; we feel that God has forsaken us. Abraham served God and even though he had a challenge of childlessness, which God is a party to, he was the envy of his generation. He worked hard and was wealthy. People around him benefited from his wealth and it was clear to them that his God is different. God has given us talents, resources and man power; let us put them to good use so we can be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth, subdue and dominate it as God commanded us to in Genesis 1:28. Then it will be clear to us that God has not and will never forsake those who serve Him.

When God Frowns

Most times, God frowns at the frailties and errors of His children. That does not mean that God has forsaken His children. According to William Cowper, a Hymn Writer, “Behind God’s frowning Providence, He hides a smiling face”. God created us for a purpose and that purpose was made known to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to come and redeem our souls from the power of sin that can lead us to destruction; and Jesus Christ did give Himself as a sacrifice. That sacrifice alone shows that God will never forsake those that His Son died for. Jesus Christ finished His work and left us to continue with the task of reconciling men back to God. God’s heart beat for sending Jesus is for all to have eternal life. Jesus said to Peter three times: If you love me, keep my sheep” (John 21: 15-17). This shows that His priority is to make sure that His children are not starved of His Word. This feeding includes making sure that everything that will make His children vomit the amount of His Word that they have consumed and anything that will hinder them from hearing God’s word is dealt with. This is to make sure that people will not continue in their sins. That is enough evidence that God will not forsake His children. There are too many churches today where people go to hear the Word of God. The Word of God is preached in the buses, market places, streets, etc. Despite this, the crime rate is high. Kidnapping, prostitution, armed robbery, rape, drug abuse, illegal migration, destruction of lives and properties are becoming the norms of our society; yet, most of the perpetrators all go to church. Have we stopped to ask ourselves why this is so? We need to read the handwriting on the wall. In as much as people need the Word of God, they also need food on their tables, job security, financial freedom, sound health, etc. The possibility that a jobless man with so many financial issues will retain the Word of God for an hour is minimal. That moment he is reminded of his problems is the moment he will vomit the Word, and the alternative to survival will start running in his head. People go to church to find logical answers to their problems; the problems that evil rulers have created by way of siphoning and diverting public funds for selfish purposes. When people fail to get the answers that they seek, God frowns because He knows that those problems can make them a slave to sin. It seems the Word of God these days make no difference to people’s lives. The Word of God is losing its value in people’s lives today and God is not happy. It has become a mirage to so many people. People need to know how to apply the Word of God to better their lives. As people fellowship with one another, they want to feel that they are valued members; they need to be encouraged and motivated by way of promoting their talents, helping them to learn a trade, get a job, etc. By so doing, they will not be distracted in their service to God. God has called many men and women and positioned them to feed the hungry sheep but it seems they are too busy building cathedrals, flying jets and stooping so low to reason with evil leaders who are busy playing politics of selfishness with people’s lives. How will a man of God feel if his member dies and goes to hell because of one pressing need or the other that pushed him to sin. Men of God are human and they are equally tempted to sin a times because of one pressing need or the other; how much more their members. Let us do what we are supposed to do and stop making God a liar because He will always be true to His Word. He will never forsake His own.

Is God A Beggar?

It seems there are a high tendency these days to bribe God through tithe, seed sowing, offering, etc. in order to get God to be on our side and work for us. When God said He will never forsake us, He did not demand all that. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24: 1). So why does it seem He wants our penny for Him to be on our side? We were not there to donate a penny when He created the heavens, earth, seas, animals, etc. Tithes, seed sowing, offering, etc. are to pledge our allegiance to the Almighty God and to honour Him as our creator. When King Solomon was set to build a temple for God, all the gifted, talented and skilled men worked sacrificially to build a house for God because they know that Solomon was working with God. They were not coaxed to do the work. Our church leaders should follow God’s heart beat, which is meeting the needs of the poor and needy. They should report the evil leaders that are impoverishing the citizens of this country to Almighty God. They should issue decrees, warnings and proclamations that will shake the evildoers and the enemies of Nigeria; like Samuel, Elijah, etc. did during their time.  By so doing, God will judge the wicked and make a distinction between the wicked and the righteous as written in (Malachi 3:13-18), thereby, creating an enabling environment for the righteous to prosper and serve God with all their hearts and resources. Our church leaders should not let their comfort zones close their eyes to the sufferings of people. God’s words are not mere theories. People want results. When we do that which God expects from us, God will be pleased to handle the rest His own way.

God’s assurance is very strong. Even if a mother forgets the baby at her breast, He will never forsake His children. God has given us so much: Talents, skills, resources, etc. and He expects that we put them to work; to be fruitful, to multiply, to fill the earth and dominate. Obedience to His word will prove to us that He will never forsake us. If God has not kept to His promise, by now, nobody will say anything against the government in power and go free; I bet you, people will be dying in silence because of too much burden of imposed silence.

Written by Olive Chinyere Amajuoyi