Monday, May 16: Leviticus 7- Cost of love.

I sat and thought… all these offerings. Burnt offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, fellowship offerings, thank offerings… how many have I read about these last 7 days?  Then there are rules when you offer animals and other rules when you offer grains. Oh, my, rules, rules, rules.

It is wonderful that the Lord gave all these offerings so people can stay connected, so the affairs of life, which are filled with sin, can be atoned for, so that people have ways to thank and express love for the Lord. But there are so many rules, I get confused.

Now I’m sure people of the day didn’t get confused, it was their world; it is not my world. But still…? When Israel is settled, most people will have a long travel to the temple, and all of these offerings become more difficult to execute properly.

Then I thought about the expense of all this… offerings, whether animal or gain, cost particularly when you are an agrarian society that lives fairly close to hand to mouth. Beyond this there were regulations like the tithe. All in all staying faithful had a significant cost.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, love costs. Loving my wife or children costs… it costs time, it costs effort, it costs money. Why am I surprised that loving God would cost, too.

Loving God today should cost me in similar ways… it should cost me time… time spent with the Lord and the Lord’s people and doing the Lord’s business. I shouldn’t be surprised when my relationship with the Lord costs me effort… effort to serve Him well, effort to get to know Him and to serve His people and His world. Again my relationship with the Lord will cost money… money in offerings, money living God’s honest way, not cheating, money for helping others and doing the good deeds that honor the Lord…

So, today I began taking an inventory of my willingness to maintain my relationship with the Lord… am I paying the costs and doing so willingly and lovingly from the heart?

How about you?

This is where my musings took me this morning…

Lord, I pray for a heart full of thankfulness for all You have done for me. I pray that my heart will be brimming with love and desire to put whatever is necessary into my relationship with You, no matter the cost… I love You, Lord, and I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.