The 40 Day Journey - Day 35 (Burnt Offering)

We are up in Bellingham with my niece. Her family has a cabin on Lummi Bay. She invited us up for a few days of card games, exploring, and playing on the beach (or in the muck). I escaped first thing this morning for my hour with God, to hear His voice. I drove down to the ferry dock and sat by the water.

This is my last week of my 40 Day Journey and I had all kinds of ideas for this week. This is the week before we celebrate the greatest moment in all of history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Yet God reminded me again, He wants my heart, not my plans.

It didn't take me long to admit to God what was on my heart today. I recently heard from someone that I had known years ago. Hearing from this person brought up an old wound I had long forgotten. It started to occupy my thoughts. It wasn't earth shaking, but it was a resurrected hurt that needed my attention. I knew I had to work through this to be able to clearly hear God. Or maybe I needed to clearly hear God to work through this?

I asked what He wanted to say to my heart through this memory. I’m not sure the process that happened to get me to Genesis 8:20-21, but that is where I landed.

“Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled the soothing aroma…”

I have a Thompson Chain Reference Bible. One of the main features is the “links” in the column to other verses that are related to the one you are reading. I love the connections it makes, especially between the testaments. When I looked for the “link” to this soothing aroma it took me to Ephesians 5:1-2.

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

We no longer need sacrifices or burnt offerings, because of Christ's complete work on the cross. He gave His perfect life as the only sacrifice necessary for us to be right with God. The next "link" in my Bible took me to 2 Corinthians 2:15, which says we are a fragrance of Christ to God.

(I so often feel like Billy from the Family Circus comic, going all over the map to get to his destination...I'm getting to the point!)

In Genesis 8, Noah's first thought when getting off the boat was to worship God with a burnt offering. It was not commanded by God, it was from a pure and thankful heart. And it was a soothing aroma to God! Then we see in the New Testament that Christ was the perfect and final sacrifice, that we may have forgiveness of our sins and access to God. And His offering was a fragrant aroma.

Today we are the fragrance of Christ to God. Ephesians 5 says we are to be imitators of God. What can we imitate? He forgave us of all of our sins, now we are able to forgive others.

So now what do I do with this offense from years past? Ignoring it does not make it go away (in case you are ever inclined to try.,.). God reminded me of the blog I posted on Day 7, Ashes and Oaks. In it God showed me why He makes beauty from ashes. What He showed me today is that I have an offering that is waiting to be consumed by fire, waiting to be made into ashes. An offense waiting to be forgiven. This hurt can not be made beautiful until it is offered to God with a heart of gratitude.

So this morning, I give this hurt...this offense to you Lord. I choose to forgive. Please take it from me as an offering, fully consumed by fire...made into ashes. Take it Lord, from a heart of praise and thanksgiving for who You are. May You take this offering, made to ashes, to make something beautiful for your glory. And may it be a soothing aroma to You. Amen

Found in You - Vertical Church Band