When you choose to live without God, it's easy to lose that awareness of Him and start making choices that aren't aligned with His ways. Maybe you haven't truly encountered Him yet. Our hearts can be so deceitful, always looking for ways to satisfy our own twisted desires, driven by that inner restlessness.
The only way to live a righteous life is to keep God's word close to your heart and follow His will. That's how genuine goodness grows from deep within.
God isn't pleased when offerings are misused. They should be used to grow His work and spread the Gospel to everyone, fulfilling the command He gave us. Prayer is key to making sure your offerings are used the right way and that you're following God's leading.
And, Whoever should swear by the altar, it is nothing; and whoever should swear by the gift above it, he is indebted.Foolish and blind: for which is the greater, the gift, or the altar, consecrating the gifts?
And ye shall not walk in the laws of the nations which I sent out from before you: for they did all these things and I shall be disgusted with them.And I said to you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to inherit it, a land flowing with milk and honey: I Jehovah your God, who separated you from the nations.And ye separated between clean cattle to unclean, and between unclean birds and clean: and ye shall not make you souls abhorred by cattle or bird, and by any which shall creep upon the earth which I separated to you for unclean.
Thou shalt not sacrifice to Jehovah thy God an ox and a sheep which shall be in it a blemish, any evil word, for it is an abomination to Jehovah thy God.
And he spake to certain trusting upon themselves that they were just, and setting at nought the rest, this parable:Two men went up to the temple to pray; one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.The Pharisee having stood, prayed these to himself, O God, I return thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, rapacious, unjust, adulterers, or also as this publican.I fast twice of the Sabbath; I pay tithes of all I possess.And the publican, standing afar off, would not either lift up the eyes to heaven, but struck upon his breast, saying, God propitiate for me the sinful.I say to you, this one went down to his house justified rather than that one: for every one lifting up himself shall be humbled; and he humbling himself shall be lifted up.
Each as he chooses in the heart; not of grief, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver.
Will man defraud God? For ye defraud me. And ye said, In what did we defraud thee? The tenths and the offerings.
If therefore, thou bring thy gift upon the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother has anything against thee,Let go there thy gift, before the altar, and retire; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then, having come, bring thy gift.
For all they, of that abounding to them, have cast in to the gifts of God: and she from her want cast in all the living which she had.
And Abel, he also brought in the first-born of his sheep, and their fat. And Jehovah will look to Abel and to his giftAnd to Cain and to his offering he looked not: and Cain will be very angry, and his countenance will fall.
A son will honor the father, and the servant his lord; and if I a father, where mine honor? and if I their lord, where my fear? said Jehovah of armies to you, O priests despising my name. And ye said, In what did we despise thy name?Bringing polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye said, In what did we pollute thee? In your saying, The table of Jehovah it was despised.And if ye shall bring near the blind for a sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye shall bring near the lame and the sick, is it not evil? bring A near now to thy governor; will he delight in thee, or lift up thy face? said Jehovah of armies.
For your acceptance a blameless male among the cattle, among the sheep, and among the goats.And every one which in it is a blemish ye shall not bring it: for it shall not be for acceptance for you.
And it shall be at the end of days, and Cain shall bring in from the fruit of the earth an offering to Jehovah.And Abel, he also brought in the first-born of his sheep, and their fat. And Jehovah will look to Abel and to his giftAnd to Cain and to his offering he looked not: and Cain will be very angry, and his countenance will fall.
And when a blemish shall be in it, lame or blind, any evil blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it to Jehovah thy God.
And every one which in it is a blemish ye shall not bring it: for it shall not be for acceptance for you.And when a man shall bring a sacrifice of peace to Jehovah, to separate a vow or a willing gift in cattle or in sheep, it shall be blameless for acceptance: not any blemish shall be in itBlind, or broken, or cut, or flowing, or scurvy, or scabby, they shall not bring these to Jehovah, and a sacrifice ye shall not give from them upon the altar to Jehovah.
And if ye shall bring near the blind for a sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye shall bring near the lame and the sick, is it not evil? bring A near now to thy governor; will he delight in thee, or lift up thy face? said Jehovah of armies.
Bringing polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye said, In what did we pollute thee? In your saying, The table of Jehovah it was despised.
And when ye shall sacrifice a sacrifice of peace to Jehovah, ye shall sacrifice at your will.
And ye said, Behold, what a weariness! and ye puffed at it, said Jehovah of armies; and ye brought the spoiled and the lame, and the sick; and ye brought the gift: shall I accept it from your hand? said Jehovah.And cursed he deceiving, and there is in his flock a male, and he vowed and sacrificed a corrupt thing to Jehovah: for I am a great king, said Jehovah of armies, and my name terrible among the nations.
And Samuel will say, Was it pleasing to Jehovah in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as to hear to the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to hear, above a good sacrifice, and to hearken, above the fat of rams.
A perfect sheep, a male, the son of a year, shall be to you from the he-lambs and from the goats ye shall take.
Besides the burnt-offering of continuance and its gift, ye shall do; blameless shall they be to you, and their libations.
For what to me the multitude of your sacrifices? Jehovah will say: I was filled with the burnt-offerings of rams and the fat of fatlings; and I delighted not in the blood of bullocks, and of he lambs and of he goats.When ye shall come to be seen before me who sought this from your hand to tread my enclosure.Ye shall not add to bring gifts of iniquity; incense, this an abomination to me; the new moon and the Sabbath, the calling of the assembly; I shall not be able to bear vanity and restraining.
Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Enough to you, O princes of Israel: remove ye violence and oppression, and do judgment and justice, lift up your expulsions from off my people, says the Lord Jehovah.A just balance, and a just ephah, and a just bath, shall be to you.
And having looked np, he saw the rich casting their gifts into the royal treasury.And he also saw a certain poor widow casting there two small coins.And he said, Truly I say to you, that this poor widow has cast in more than all:For all they, of that abounding to them, have cast in to the gifts of God: and she from her want cast in all the living which she had.
And Jehovah will say, Because that this people drew near with their month, and honored me with their lips, and their heart was far from me, and their fear towards me shall be taught from the command of men.
Wherefore this to me shall frankincense come from Sheba, and the good cane from a land from far off? your burnt-offerings are not for acceptance, and your sacrifices were not sweet to me.
This people draw near me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips; but their heart keeps off far from me.But they worship me in vain, teaching doctrines the commands of men.
And the doing good and mutual participation forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
I hated, I rejected your festivals, and I will not smell in your assemblies.For if ye shall bring up to me burnt-offerirgs, and your gifts, I will not delight; and I will not look upon the peace-offerings of your fatlings.Remove from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the music of thy lyres.
The sacrifice of the unjust an abomination of Jehovah: and the prayer of the upright his acceptance.
With what shall I come before Jehovah? I will bow to the high God; shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves, the sons of a year?Will Jehovah delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousands of torrents of oil? shall I give my first-born my transgression? the fruit of my belly, the sin of my soul?He announced to thee, O man, what was good; and what did Jehovah require of thee but to do judgment and to love mercy, and being humbled, to go with thy God?
Attend ye not to do your justice before men, to be seen to them; and if otherwise ye have no reward from your Father which in the heavens.When therefore thou doest alms, thou shouldst not sound the trumpet before thee, as hypocrites do in the assemblies, and in the streets, that they might be praised by men. Verily I say to you, They have their reward.But thou doing alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right does:That thine alms might be in secret; and thy Father, who seeing in secret, shall give back to thee openly.
For thou wilt not delight in sacrifice, and thou wilt not take pleasure in burnt-offering.The sacrifices of God a spirit being broken: a heart being broken and crushed, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye exact tenths and dill and cummin, and ye have left the weightier things of the law, judgment, and mercy, and faith: these it was necessary to do, and not to let go those.
Take ye from you an offering to Jehovah: all of a willing heart shall bring an offering to Jehovah; gold and silver and brass,
And Jesus having sat over against the royal treasury, saw how the crowds cast money into the treasury: and many rich cast in much.And one poor widow, having come, cast in two small coins, which is a farthing.And having called his disciples, he says to them, Truly I say to you, That this poor widow has cast into the royal treasury, more than all they casting into the treasury:For all they cast in out of the abundance to them; and she, out of her want, cast in all things which she had, her whole living.
And ye yourselves are built, as living stones, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to bring up spiritual sacrifice; acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
TO David. Judge me, O Jehovah, for I went in mine integrity, and in Jehovah I trusted: I shall not waver.Prove me, O Jehovah, and try me; refine my reins and my heart
And if I feed out all my goods, and if I deliver my body that I be burned, and have not love, I am profited nothing.
I Beseech you therefore, brethren, by the compassions of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, your reasonable service.
And cursed he deceiving, and there is in his flock a male, and he vowed and sacrificed a corrupt thing to Jehovah: for I am a great king, said Jehovah of armies, and my name terrible among the nations.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man should sow, that also shall he reap.For he sowing to his flesh of the flesh shall reap corruption; but he sowing to the Spirit, of the Spirit shall reap eternal life.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask wickedly that ye might expend upon your sensual pleasures.
For the root of all evils is the love of money: which some striving for, have been led astray from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many pains.
For the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are adverse to one another: that not the things ye would, these should ye do.
Watch thy feet when thou shalt go to the house of God, and draw near to hear, rather than give the sacrifice of the foolish, for they not knowing the doing of evil.Thou shalt not hasten with thy mouth, and thy heart shall not be quick to bring forth a word to the face of God: for God is in the heavens, and thou upon the earth: for this thy words shall be few.
Who will go up to the mountain of Jehovah? and who shall stand in his holy place?The blameless one of hands and the clean of heart; who lifted not up his soul to vanity, and swore not for deceit
Will man defraud God? For ye defraud me. And ye said, In what did we defraud thee? The tenths and the offerings.Ye are cursed with a curse: and ye defrauded me, the nation all of itBring ye all the tenths to the house of treasure, and food shall be in my house, and try me now in this, said Jehovah of armies, if I will not open to you the lattices of the heavens, and empty out to you a blessing, even is it not a sufficiency.
Whether he beseeching, in supplication: he imparting, in simplicity; he placed before, in earnestness; he compassionating, in cheerfulness.
For if a forwardness lie before, according as any has, it is acceptable, not as he has not.For not that ease to others, and pressure to you:But of equality, now in this time your abundance for their want, that also their abundance be for your want: that there be equality:As has been written, He to whom much, was not in excess; and he to whom little, was not diminished.
And a certain man, Ananias by name, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,And separated from the price, his wife also knowing; and having brought a certain part, laid at the feet of the sent.And Peter said, Ananias, wherefore filled Satan thy heart, for thee to belie the Holy Spirit, and separate from the price of the farmRemaining, did it not remain to thee? and sold, it was in thy power: for what hast thou put this thing in thy heart? thou hast not lied to men, but to God.
Not every one saying to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens; but he doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens.
And he said to them, See, and watch yourselves from covetousness: for not in the abounding to any one of his possessions is his life.
By faith Abel brought near a greater sacrifice to God than Cain, by which he was testified of to be just, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaks.
According to one day of the sabbaths let each of you put by himself, treasuring up that which he is prospered in, that when I come there be no collections.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it has been written, Cursed every one who remains not in all written in the book of the law to do them.
Incline my heart to thy testimonies and not to plunder.Cause mine eyes to pass from seeing vanity; make me live in thy way.
Jesus said to him, If thou wished to be perfected, retire, sell thy possessions, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
To the rich now in this life, proclaim not to be highminded, nor to be hoping upon the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God, offering us all things richly for profit;To do good, to be rich in good works, to be liberal, qualified for participation;Treasuring up to themselves a good foundation for the future, that they may lay hold upon eternal life.