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February 13
OVER A SACRIFICE
by Ray Prinzing
"Gather ye to Me My saints, making covenant with Me over a
sacrifice.."
(Psalm 50:60, Young's Literal).
Covenant -- a Hebrew
word that means -- a league, an eating. It speaks of partaking
together, that vital COMMUNION. "He that eateth My flesh
and drinketh My blood," so partaking of Him that our life is
changed and merged into one with His life. Such a covenant can
only be made over a sacrifice. Many have made their vows,
their covenants with God, only to break them in due time. He
had blessed them and they rejoiced and made their vows, but as times
passes the world draws them into its mesh, and they forget the vow
they made unto the Lord.
Therefore, this covenant
is made OVER A SACRIFICE. It is painful, it goes deep into the
marrow of our being, it costs us everything. Just as that merchant
went seeking goodly pearls, and finding that pearl of great price,
went and sold all that he had to buy that pearl, so also it will
cost us everything of self; our ego, our own will, ambitions, plans,
wishes. All is laid out before Him, consumed upon the altar of
sacrifice. Indeed, we come to know what it means to offer
ourselves "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1).
Betimes, we have offered
up to Him our strengths, talents, abilities, that He might use them
in glad service. It was to the Lord, yes, but I dare say we
also enjoyed it, self took its portion of the glory. Then He
stripped us of all the gifts and graces wherein we rejoiced, and we
offer up to Him our weaknesses, it is all we have left to give, and
on the altar it goes. Broken, yes, "the scarifies of
God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou
wilt not despise." (Psalm 51:17). We see the vision
of a broken alabaster box, with its perfume pervading the
atmosphere, for there are those fallen on the Stone, broken, and
there they made a covenant with God to manifest only Christ.
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