I’m really glad that I don’t have to prepare a calf or a lamb for slaughter in order to get ready for church.

The Israelites in the Old Testament were not so fortunate. The worship that God required of them in the promise of the coming Redeemer was not efficient or easy. It was labor intensive and required the full physical commitment of the worshipper. If you doubt this, spend some time reading Leviticus.

Centered in the activities of the tabernacle, there was no part of the Israelites’ daily lives that was separated from their worship and service of God. When they moved away from God, they got into trouble.

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross fulfilled all that was pictured in the tabernacle. He completed all  the requirements of the law. His death culminated God’s pursuit of mankind, and His sacrifice required all of God’s heart.

Through this ultimate act of love, God’s grace was made accessible to all.

My salvation is not dependent on how much I sacrifice or how much I work; it is fully purchased by the grace-giving sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. When I access this amazing grace by confessing my sin and trusting in the atonement of Jesus, God’s redemption of my soul lays hold on all that I am. My response can only be a full surrender of all that I am to all that He is.

God is no longer asking me to sacrifice a lamb; He provided the Lamb.

I can only lay myself – my hopes, my dreams, my plans, my all – at His feet in humble gratitude for His great redemptive grace.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his (Jesus’) own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

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