Love driven sacrifice

Call To Prayer

Title: Love driven sacrifice

By: Wale Lasisi

Date: 12.01.2023

And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. (1 Kings 8:63 KJV)

And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. (1 Kings 3:3 KJV)

Supernatural encounters come in different shapes and forms depending on the message being passed across. Some of it is manifested in dreams and visions. Some have had angelic encounters in the form of assistance physically while some have heard a voice guiding them on what to do. However, the greatest form of an encounter is a visitation from God Almighty himself.

In our texts today, we see the technology with which Solomon engineered a visitation from God. First, his heart was full of love for God just like his father David and he, therefore, sacrificed from that love-driven platform and which resulted in an encounter with the King of kings (1 Kings 9:2). How will a man kill twenty-two thousand oxen with one hundred and twenty thousand sheep to dedicate a house? He was not sacrificing for a reward, he did so because his whole heart was full of love toward the creator of the heavens and the earth.

It is therefore crucial to state that sacrifices unto God are not the same when viewed from the realm of the spirit and this was what distinguished the sacrifice of Cain from that of Abel. The state of the heart towards God matters most and this is the platform on which the sacrifice can become a sweet-smelling savour and acceptable unto God. A heart that loves God will be free from offence towards men.

In our daily walk with God, He seeks to give us encounters so we can grow in the school of the spirit and one of the ways we can open ourselves to such dimensions is by loving God unreservedly and sacrificing from that state unto Him. Sacrifices can be many things which include but are not limited to; prayers of intercession (praying God’s own prayers), immersing ourselves in his work, giving towards the growth of the gospel, and many more.

It was encounters that changed Abraham’s destiny and turned him into a father of many nations; turned him into a blessing so much so that all nations of the earth are blessed by him. We, therefore, need to adequately prepare our hearts so we can accommodate God’s visitation to launch us into higher realms of glory.

Prayer point:
Let us thank God for the word. Let us pray for the grace to love God unreservedly and sacrifice for His kingdom.

God bless you!