Topic: A SACRIFICE OF LOVE – Right From The Heart Daily Devotional by Bryant Wright Ministry  1 February2024

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A SACRIFICE OF LOVE

February 01, 2024

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Ephesians 5:2 

What in the world is this “fragrant offering and sacrifice” all about?

Paul is pointing us back to the sacrificial system of the old covenant. When sacrifices were offered to the Lord at the temple, the meat of the animal sacrifice would be burnt at the altar. The aroma was distinct and beautiful. Think about how amazing a choice steak smells on the grill! This smell signified so much more than meat on the grill. It was an offering of worship and gratitude for the provision of God in the forgiveness of sin.

Look where this first shows up in the Bible: 

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Genesis 8:20-22

Noah offered a sacrifice of worship and gratitude to God. Then, God made a covenant with Noah that revealed a promise of His provision and his grace. Similarly, when we demonstrate sacrificial love toward others in response to God’s gift of love, we offer an act of worship that is a fragrant aroma pleasing to God. Every act of love should remind us of the promise and provision of God’s grace through the finished work of the cross. 

We are called to be like Jesus, who offered up Himself as a fragrant offering. We are called to walk in love and to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to the Lord.

This is a call to a life of faith. This is our call to give, serve, and live for the sake of the mission. 

You will not walk in love as Christ loved us apart from a life of faith and sacrifice. You will not walk in love if you simply view the church as a commodity to meet your needs. You will not walk in love if you only show up to worship to get what you want.

Walking in love always involves sacrifice.  

But sacrifice fueled by God’s perfect and endless love will produce deep joy and confidence in God’s grace and provision. A sacrifice made in love becomes a blessing that strengthens our faith and inspires us to walk in love even more. 

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