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 you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
Furthermore, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I am going to drive out before you, because they did all these things; therefore I have felt disgust for them.So I have said to you, “You are to take possession of their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has singled you out from the peoples.You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make yourselves detestable by animal or by bird, or by anything that crawls on the ground, which I have distinguished for you as unclean.
“You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any defect, for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God.
Each one must do just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
“Would anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.
Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you,leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
for they all contributed to the offering from their surplus; but she, from her poverty, put in all that she had to live on.”
Abel, on his part also brought an offering, from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering;but for Cain and his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his face was gloomy.
“ ‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of armies to you, the priests who despise My name! But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is to be despised.’And when you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not evil? Or when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not evil? So offer it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you, or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of armies.
for you to be accepted—it must be a male without defect from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats.“Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the Lord.Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you.
So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the ground.Abel, on his part also brought an offering, from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering;but for Cain and his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his face was gloomy.
But if it has any impairment, such as a limp, or blindness, or any serious impairment, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you.When someone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or for a voluntary offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be without defect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.Those that are blind, fractured, maimed, or have a wart, a festering rash, or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the Lord.
And when you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not evil? Or when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not evil? So offer it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you, or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of armies.
You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is to be despised.’
‘Now when you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted.
You also say, ‘See, how tiresome it is!’ And you view it as trivial,” says the Lord of armies, “and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I accept it from your hand?” says the Lord.“But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,” says the Lord of armies, “and My name is feared among the nations.”
Samuel said, “Does the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice, And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with evil intent!
Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
Besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, you shall present them with their drink offerings. They shall be without defect.
“What are your many sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fattened cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.“When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courtyards? “Do not go on bringing your worthless offerings, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and Sabbath, the proclamation of an assembly— I cannot endure wrongdoing and the festive assembly.
Now He looked up and saw the wealthy putting their gifts into the temple treasury.Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,and there will be massive earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrible sights and great signs from heaven. “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, turning you over to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors on account of My name.It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;for I will provide you eloquence and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to oppose or refute.But you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death,and you will be hated by all people because of My name.And yet not a hair of your head will perish.By your endurance you will gain your lives. And He saw a poor widow putting in two lepta coins.“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city;because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled.Woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people;and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.“There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,people fainting from fear and the expectation of the things that are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”And He told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees:And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them;as soon as they put forth leaves, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near.So you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.“But be on your guard, so that your hearts will not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that this day will not come on you suddenly, like a trap;for it will come upon all those who live on the face of all the earth.But stay alert at all times, praying that you will have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mountain that is called Olivet.And all the people would get up very early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.for they all contributed to the offering from their surplus; but she, from her poverty, put in all that she had to live on.”
Then the Lord said, “Because this people approaches Me with their words And honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of the commandment of men that is taught;
“For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba, And the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”
‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.‘And in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
¶“I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your festive assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened oxen.“Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
¶With what shall I come to the Lord And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves?Does the Lord take pleasure in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give Him my firstborn for my wrongdoings, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?
“Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.‘ Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ’ For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses. “Now whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.But as for you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they will be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span?And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth,yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offering.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
‘Take from among you a contribution to the Lord; whoever is of a willing heart is to bring it as the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze,
And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and began watching how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts.And a poor widow came and put in two lepta coins, which amount to a quadrans.Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Vindicate me, Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, And I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. In whose hands is a wicked scheme, And whose right hand is full of bribes.But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; Redeem me, and be gracious to me.My foot stands on level ground; In the congregations I will bless the Lord.Examine me, Lord, and put me to the test; Refine my mind and my heart.
And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
“But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,” says the Lord of armies, “and My name is feared among the nations.”
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap.For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.
Guard your steps as you go to the house of God, and approach to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know that they are doing evil.One who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor one who loves abundance with its income. This too is futility.When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look at them?The sleep of the laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich person does not allow him to sleep. There is a sickening evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth being hoarded by its owner to his detriment.When that wealth was lost through bad business and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him.As he came naked from his mother’s womb, so he will return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.This also is a sickening evil: exactly as a person is born, so will he die. What then is the advantage for him who labors for the wind?All his life he also eats in darkness with great irritation, sickness, and anger.Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink, and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he labors under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.Furthermore, as for every person to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also given him the opportunity to enjoy them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.Do not be quick with your mouth or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.
Who may ascend onto the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?One who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to deceit And has not sworn deceitfully.
or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation; the one who gives, with generosity; the one who is in leadership, with diligence; the one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
For if the willingness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.For this is not for the relief of others and for your hardship, but by way of equality—at this present time your abundance will serve as assistance for their need, so that their abundance also may serve as assistance for your need, so that there may be equality;as it is written: “The one who had gathered much did not have too much, and the one who had gathered little did not have too little.”
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,And immediately she collapsed at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard about these things.At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all together in Solomon’s portico.But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem.And increasingly believers in the Lord, large numbers of men and women, were being added to their number,to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any of them.The people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together as well, bringing people who were sick or tormented with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed. But the high priest stood up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public prison.But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and leading them out, he said,and kept back some of the proceeds for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.“Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple area the whole message of this Life.”Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple area about daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, that is, all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison for them to be brought.But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported,saying, “We found the prison locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this.But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple area and teaching the people!”Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).When they had brought them, they had them stand before the Council. The high priest interrogated them,saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this Man’s blood upon us.”But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the proceeds of the land?The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a cross.He is the One whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” But when they heard this, they became infuriated and nearly decided to execute them.But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time.And he said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful as to what you are about to do with these men.For, some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.After this man, Judas of Galilee appeared in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he also perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, for if the source of this plan or movement is men, it will be overthrown;but if the source is God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.”
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
But He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.”
By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.
On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save as he may prosper, so that no collections need to be made when I come.
For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.”
Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to dishonest gain.Turn my eyes away from looking at what is worthless, And revive me in Your ways.
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.