Sacrifices

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

SACRIFICES

Acts 14:11-13

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

NIV

It is bad enough to lift some preacher up and place them on a pedestal, but these people look at Paul and Barnabas as gods. Just because the power of God was upon them and through the name of Jesus they did mighty acts, miracles, and signs the people could not accept that a man could do such things, only a god could. It must have been a real scene, considering they even gave them god names. That is and will most likely, continue to happen throughout time. Men want to follow other men, seeing them almost like little gods. We see it in the business world and especially in the political arena. There are whole segments of our society that view the government as their source for life. It might be said, they see it as a god, supplying their every need. It was the physical signs and miracles that led the people of Lystra to see Paul and Barnabas as gods. Still, the question remains as to how we apply this to our lives. We think it would be good to see that all things are from God. However, that does not preclude us from seeing certain people as special and looking to them for leadership in spiritual matters. Catholicism looks to their Pope, while some denominations have their famous leaders, almost seen by some as nearly divine. We have a whole host of tele-evangelists that have created a mass following because they promise the people prosperity. We should be careful to see all men for who they are, a creation of God. Yes, we are to love each other, but that love should be equal, without bias. We are all but human beings with faults to bear, unless we are in Christ, then our sins are washed away. Only God can forgive sin. God is the only one who is worthy of an offer of sacrifice, however, he does not want our sacrifices, except to say that we should offer our bodies, that is ourselves, to God as a living sacrifice. This does not mean being perfect, as only a lamb without spot or blemish was acceptable in the Old Testament. Our right standing before God is found in Jesus and in Him alone. However, we offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.