Proverbs 15:8-9 Right Attitude
Solomon speaks of having the right attitude when bringing your sacrifice to God. Those who come in pretense are NOT welcome.
These two little verses speak volumes about the attitude we come to God with. When we come to God for anything, we need to come to Him HONESTLY searching for relationship with Him. Ritual does NOT equal relationship!
While I was thinking about this I was reminded of something a friend told me. She said that the gangsters love the Catholic Church. No matter what they have done or their future true intent, all they have to do is go to the priest and ask for forgiveness. The priest may ask if they are truly repentant but he isn’t allowed to pass judgment on their sincerity. He gives them some kind of penance and they feel free to go on as before.
God KNOW the heart of those who come to Him, even when they do so through an intermediary. He knows if we are just coming to ‘put on a show’ or if we are truly broken over our actions. Yes, we all sin and are in need of His forgiveness. But those who refuse to give up the sin lifestyle have no place before Him.
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord” (verse 8a). He doesn’t even listen to their prayers. He sees the heart and says, “Talk to the hand” instead of opening His ears. He will NOT bless their lives. He will NOT forgive their sins until they truly repent. He WILL always be watching and waiting. When the heart changes He WILL welcome them into His arms. IN A HEART BEAT!
God cannot and will not look on sin. He even had to look away when our sin sat on Jesus’ shoulders. That does not mean that He doesn’t love us unless we are perfect. If that were the case He never would have sent Jesus. He loved us before we even knew He existed. But He expects His children to be different. They are not allowed to be in church on Sunday and be in the pit the rest of the week. He wants our hearts, not just our physical presence when we come to Him. A lifestyle of sin separates us from Him. He is reaching out to EVERY person but He will NOT reach through our sin unless our heart is reaching out to Him. Only then will He pull us into His arms.
Father God, thank You for continuing to reach out to me. I know there were times when I was “going through the motions” in my life. Times when I was closing my eyes and pretending what I was doing didn’t matter. But it did. And because I had come to You earlier in my life, You were able to draw me back to Your side. When I finally listened and remembered, You restored our relationship. I NEVER want to run away again!!! Thank You for never giving up on me.
