What Makes Offerings Acceptable to God?

Seeking revenge can become such an obsession that it evolves into a force that overshadows everything, including your relationship with the Lord God. Cain, the son of Adam and Eve, allowed anger, jealousy, and hurt feelings to possess him because his offering to God was rejected while his  brother’s gift was accepted.

Why was Cain’s offering unacceptable? If Cain’s values made him capable of murder, then he and his offering would be unacceptable until Cain was redeemed by God himself. Proverbs 20:17 confirms, “The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable no matter how perfect that offering appears visually.”

God looks at a person’s motivation, so if Cain’s offering was given grudgingly, then he did not have the right attitude for presenting his offering to God. 2 Corinthians 9:7 describes the correct motivation: “You should each give as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty, for God loves the one who gives gladly.”       

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Let us, then, always offer praise to God as our sacrifice through Jesus, which is the offering presented by lips that confess him as Lord. Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.

~Hebrews 13:15-16 Good News Bible 

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Our Internal Gatekeeper

In professional communication systems, a gatekeeper is a person who receives messages and then passes them on to others or may prevent messages from reaching their destination. A gatekeeper can change a message to make it acceptable and compatible with other forms of communications.

The gatekeeper is responsible for interpreting incoming and outgoing messages to determine if they are acceptable. Everyone has been accused of not listening or just hearing parts of a message. When conflicts arise, some folks will say anything to win regardless of the harm it causes to their relationships.

In every possible circumstance God provides us with two special helps for utilizing our internal gatekeeper. One is the voice of conscience and the other is the work of the Holy Spirit. Each makes us aware of what is acceptable and what should be rejected. As we comply with these promptings, we are blessed and affirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ, who gives us confidence in our gatekeeper.  

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A [person’s] conscience is the Lord’s searchlight exposing his hidden motives.  

~Proverbs 20:27 The Living Bible

 

If we follow our desires, we cannot please God. You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God’s Spirit, who lives in you.

~Romans 8:8-9 Contemporary English Version

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