“You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.” – Deuteronomy 17:1

Thankfully for everyone involved, this rule governing animal sacrifices no longer applies! We don’t have to keep or purchase animals to sacrifice to God because He gave His Son, Jesus, to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Jesus was the perfect, sinless Lamb of God Who died for the sins of the world. Therefore, we don’t have to make sure our sacrificial animals are physically perfect before offering them. What a relief!

HOWEVER, this verse expresses a timeless principle that absolutely applies to every follower of Jesus. Throughout the Bible, from beginning to end, a clear principle is taught: God deserves, and should receive, our best. Because God is the source of all our blessings and because He sacrificed His eternal Son on our behalf, we owe Him our best. Whatever we give to God in terms of our precious time, extraordinary talents, and earthly treasures MUST be our best.

God is worthy of it all! It’s profoundly inappropriate to give Him the scraps and leftovers of our lives. Take a moment to think about what you give to God. In terms of your time. In terms of your energy and ability. In terms of your finances. Are you giving Him your first and best? Are you giving Him the crumbs that fall from your table? Are your offerings to God worthy of Who He is and what He’s done for you?

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him” – Luke 14:8

If you’ve trusted your life to Lord Jesus, then you are already exalted! You’re an adopted child of God! You’re part of God’s family and a co-heir with Jesus Christ. You’re loved and welcomed into the throne room of Heaven and treated by God as a friend. God lives in you and is with you. This is true regardless of how many people around you notice or know your name. That’s all the exaltation and status anyone truly needs!

Don’t waste time, energy, and emotion jockeying for positions of high status here on earth. The effort will usually end in disappointment, frustration, and embarrassment. It’s a hollow and ultimately soul-consuming pursuit. Jesus warns against putting yourself forward as some sort of “big shot” because a bigger “big shot” may well appear.

Choose to be humble, instead. That doesn’t mean thinking less of yourself (though you may need to). It means thinking of yourself less. Willingly take positions of low status and demonstrate your faithfulness and excellence. Let others invite you upward. Don’t force the issue. The sovereign King of the universe chose to be born into a humble life. He accepted the scorn and hatred of those He came to save and embraced a humiliating death. If He can do all that, you can live in humility as well. Learn from and #FollowJesus

“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3

Well, there’s a hard word from Jesus! He isn’t pulling any punches or avoiding giving offense. At the risk of hurting your feelings, “all” means “all”. You’re included. So is everyone you know and love. Every person is born a sinner and automatically bound for eternal damnation and suffering in hell. That’s why we MUST repent. This isn’t a happy, gentle, or tender message. It certainly isn’t popular in 2024. Nonetheless, it was the message of Jesus and it remains true and relevant today, even if it hurts your feelings.

Unless you repent…. That word describes a radical mindshift that completely rejects the selfish, sinful choices of your past, asks forgiveness, and commits to live differently in Christ. This isn’t about a shallow apology that means nothing to you. This isn’t about defending, excusing, or explaining away your sinful past. This is about recognizing your sinful rebellion against the Most Holy, Almighty God, being truly sorrowful for it, begging God’s forgiveness for it, and believing that Jesus died and rose from death to pay the penalty for it.

When you repent and trust in Lord Jesus, you are saved! Eternal life is yours and you will not perish in eternal damnation. If you don’t repent, you will end up where you’re already headed. If you need to repent today, repent! Don’t avoid, explain, excuse, minimize, or ignore. #FollowJesus

“Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.” – Luke 12:37

Jesus is emphatic that He’s going to return and that His followers (the servants in this parable) must be ready! We don’t know when He’ll return – it could be today or thousands of years from now. When Jesus returns, He will hold His followers accountable. Not just for showing up weekly and comfortably identifying as Christian. He will hold each of us accountable for having served faithfully in His long absence and being ready for His return.

How can you stay awake, alert, and prepared to receive His reward? Be consistent in worship. Be diligent in Bible study and meditation. Be constant in prayer. Be actively, sacrificially serving His Kingdom. Be faithful in sharing the good news of Jesus with others. The work He’s given you to do in His absence is to make disciples by sharing the Gospel with unbelievers, welcoming new believers into baptism, and guiding believers to spiritual maturity. This is the work Jesus will evaluate upon His return. What will He say about your work?

Are you awake or asleep? Are you busy or on a long-term coffee break? Jesus is clear that everyone who serves diligently and faithfully will enjoy extraordinary blessings. Does the idea of having Jesus invite you to sit back and relax while He takes care of you sound amazing? Then serve Him faithfully, diligently, and joyfully. Devote your life to Jesus above and beyond all other priorities. Serve Jesus out of love for what He’s done for you and in the confident expectation of eternal blessings. #FollowJesus

“And you said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live. Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die.’” – Deuteronomy 5:24-25

God blessed Israel by bringing them into His presence. He invited all His people to Mt. Sinai to hear Him speak the Ten Commandments. Afterward, they went to Moses to explain that while they appreciated the experience they never, ever wanted it to happen again! Thanks but no thanks, they said. They were terrified and overwhelmed by God’s presence and begged to keep their distance from Him at all times. What a tragedy!!!

Their request set the course for the rest of their history throughout the Old Testament. From then on, God increased His separation from them. Even when His presence dwelt in the middle of their camp, they were shielded from it by heavy curtains. Only their one designated representative would approach God or hear from Him. That’s how they wanted it because they feared to be too close to God’s presence. They asked for separation from Him and they got what they asked for. It’s hard to imagine how different their history would be or the enormous blessings they missed out on because they feared and avoided God’s presence!

Things are different now. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain inside the temple was torn from top to bottom. There no longer needs to be that separation because Christ lives within His people. We don’t have to be like the people of Israel. Nonetheless, we often still avoid God’s presence. We still avoid rather than seek the experience of His overwhelming, manifest presence. Our busyness, our distraction, and our addiction to entertainment and trivialities serve to keep us far from God’s presence.

Stop doing that! If Jesus is your Savior, then seek to draw ever nearer to God. Ask Him to reveal His presence to you. As you meditate on His Word and pray each day, take time to focus on His presence. Claim the promise of Jesus that He is always with you. Know that God’s Spirit lives within you. Listen for His voice. Claim the promise of the torn curtain – there is now no separation! Draw near to God and trust that He will draw near to you. #FollowJesus