JESUS IS YOUR SWEET AROMA TO GOD

By Joseph Prince – Posted May 9, 2017

Leviticus 1: 13

…the priest shall bring it all and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

In Old Testament times, when a burnt offering is killed, its head is severed, the fat removed, and the entrails and legs washed. Then, everything is placed on an altar and burnt, and the sacrifice is a sweet aroma to God.

All this speaks of the death of Jesus, who has “given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma”. (Ephesians 5:2)

The head of the sacrificed animal speaks of the mind of Christ offered as a covering for our minds. This means that although our minds are often clouded with unbelief, worries, foolishness, filth and human reasoning, God treats us as if we have the mind of Christ, without wrong or displeasing thoughts, bringing pleasure to Him like a sweet aroma.

The fat of the animal speaks of the riches of Christ, His best, for God equates the fat of something with the best of that entity. (Genesis 45:18) The fat of the burnt sacrifice speaks of Jesus giving us His riches, His best, as our covering. So God does not see us in our lack, but in the riches and excellence of Jesus going up to Him as a sweet aroma.

The entrails or intestines speak of Jesus’ motivations, feelings, affections and desires. We often feel fearful, anxious, stressed out or angry (and it affects our stomach and intestines). But God sees only Jesus’ feelings and desires, which are always pure, beautiful and acceptable to Him—a sweet aroma.

The legs refer to Jesus’ perfect walk—His power to serve and obey the Father—imputed to our weak and faltering walk. And the fact they are washed shows that even our crooked walk has been cleansed.

Beloved, God does not see your foolish mind, weak nature, inadequate feelings or faulty walk. Instead, He sees you in the perfection of His Son, who gave Himself up for you as a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God.

Thought For The Day

God does not see you in your imperfections, but in the perfections of His Son.

God Wants to Bless You

By Joyce Meyer - Posted May 09, 2017

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. 
—Psalm 23:1 

Being able to maintain a good attitude during times of suffering is a virtue, and it is very important, but continual suffering is not God’s will for anybody. The apostle Paul said he had times of being abased and times of abounding (see Philippians 4:12). We will go through difficulties in this life, but we can, and should, expect God’s deliverance along with a return to the abundant life.

We must never see God as a stingy god who would withhold something we need. Certainly, there are times when we don’t get what we want when we want it, but if that happens, God has a good reason. Perhaps the timing isn’t right, or we are not mature enough to handle it yet, or He has something better in mind, but it is never because He doesn’t want us to be blessed. That thought simply isn’t consistent with who He is.

Power Thought: The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all I need.

 Say Continually

By Joel Osteen – Posted May 09, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; and let them say continually, 'The Lord be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.'
Psalm 35:27, NASB

TODAY'S WORD:

Notice in today’s verse, God’s people were commanded to go around saying continually, “Let God be magnified. He takes pleasure in prospering me.” I believe one reason they were supposed to say it all the time is so it would get down on the inside of their hearts. 

See, when we hear something long enough, we start to believe it. It starts to affect the way we see things. I wonder what would happen if, all through the day, we decided to stop dwelling on negative, defeated thoughts like, “I’ll never get out of debt. My business will never expand. How can I send my children to college? It’s so expensive.” And, what if you started dwelling on thoughts like, “God takes pleasure in prospering me. Good breaks are in my future. Explosive blessings are coming my way?” 

Today, let the truth of God’s Word sink down into your heart. All throughout the day, declare His goodness. Declare His faithfulness. Declare His blessings because He delights in seeing you prosper!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, thank You for Your goodness. Thank You for finding joy in seeing me succeed. Help me to see my life the way you see it. Help me to see and declare the blessing and victory You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 Kingdom Come

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted May 9, 2017

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

Recommended Reading: John 15:7

Words and actions are sure indicators of a person’s priorities. In Jesus’ case, His priority was announcing (His actions) the kingdom of heaven (His words) (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). What exactly did Jesus mean by announcing that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”? And why did He teach His disciples to pray that God’s kingdom and will would be manifest on earth?

Though there will one day be a geographic dimension to the kingdom of God on earth (Revelation 21:14-21), geography does not define the kingdom of God. Jesus drew a parallel in Matthew 6:10 between God’s kingdom and God’s will—they mean the same thing. The kingdom of God is a matter of authority, a matter of God’s will being embraced and obeyed. Jesus told a parable of a nobleman who went to “a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return” (Luke 19:11-12). What the man received was not land but the right to rule in his home country. So, when Jesus taught His disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to come, He meant for God’s authority and rule to be welcomed “on earth as it is in heaven.”

We can be part of the answer to that prayer today by embracing and obeying God’s will for our life.

Before we can pray, “Lord, Thy kingdom come,” we must be willing to pray, “My kingdom go.”
Alan Redpath