Approaching God

The Burnt Offering, the Grain Offering, the Fellowship Offering, the Sin Offering, the Guilt Offering, the Offering of Thanksgiving. What are these offerings? They were not special one time monetary pledges given for some annual event. These were offerings that God required of the Israelites. God gave Moses specific instructions how these offerings were to be presented and received. If given in the proper way all those involved, from the priests to the people, and even the objects used in the process, where considered holy before the Lord. Everything in the Tabernacle was made or built to God’s specifications making the Tabernacle Holy. Failure to follow God’s instructions could mean that a person would be cut off from their people or possibly be killed.

God was serious about everything around him being holy. All of these offerings were to be offered on the altar as an “aroma pleasing to the Lord”. In Leviticus those words are stressed over and over again and again. Whatever was presented to God and in the presence of God was to be a pleasing aroma to Him. Do you think God requires us to be a pleasing aroma to Him when we come into his presence? Do you think God would accept anything less than holiness from us when we approach him? Today millions of us will gather in our places of worship to hopefully praise and honor the Lord our God. What will we bring to him today? Will it be a pleasing aroma to him? What kind of Offering will you be today?