God Wants Us Completely
Micah 6:8 NIV
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
When I was much younger, I tried time and time again to read the Bible in its entirety. I knew the stories, I had sat through the sermons, and I went to the vacation Bible schools, but I had never sat down and read the word. To my discouragement, I was never able to stick with it. Looking back, I believe that this is where I personally went wrong: I started strictly at the beginning. And to those of you like me, who with time have read the Bible completely, you can probably attest that the Old Testament isn't the easiest of books to read. That is, at least the first several books. This is where we see much of the offerings that the people gave to God, as well as the punishment they faced according to their sins. I firmly believe that if you don't read a little bit of the New Testament while you're reading the Old, you may become a little lost. And this is why.
In the Old Testament, just as we are today, the Israelites were a very sinful people. But to make atonement for their sins (according to the Old Covenant), they had to offer sacrifices to our God. Fast forward to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He served as our ultimate sacrifice, putting an end to the need to offer sacrifices to God. Now, as our thanks to God, we are commanded to walk in the ways of the Lord and follow His word. I think that's a small price to pay, don't you? God does not want our sacrifices because no sacrifice will ever amount to the gift He has given us, and that is salvation. We will never be able to repay Christ for the sacrifice He made on our behalf. But when we live a life that brings glory to His name, we show our love for Him and all He has done for us.
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