Sacrifices and worship

"Sacrifice is at the heart of all true worship." So says Allen Ross in his commentary on Leviticus. Pause and think about your worship; have you sacrificed?

Now, in some sense, the answer is that because of Christ's sacrifice, we are always able to worship, but that ignores the heart behind what Ross is saying. As I was reading Leviticus 1-3 this morning, it struck me that if we truly understood the Old Testament sacrifices, we would understand our need to give whole-heartedly and abundantly to our Lord of our very best. Indeed, we would learn what it means to sacrifice for our God. Do we really desire to worship God? If we do, it would be good to remember that 3 of the 5 sacrifices were meant to be a "sweet savor to God," not to make the offerer have a pure conscience or feel better. Indeed, the guilt and sin offerings were usually followed by a peace, grain, or burnt offering; thus, even when the conscience was purified, the focus still was to be on the sweet savor to God whether that be in thanking Him for fellowship, His provision, or simply dedicating one's self to Him.
So, have you worshiped the Lord recently through sacrifice? Thank Him for the sacrifice of His Son that frees us from guilt and sin. Thank Him for the Peace that has given us access to Him in the Most Holy Place; thank Him for daily provision; thank Him that He is your King. And then show this through your personal sacrifice of what is pure and precious in your life.