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A Sweet, Soothing Aroma
Kay
Camenisch
Our son once attended a men’s Bible study at a church he
was considering joining.
After several weeks, he dropped out and found a new church
because the discussions were all focused on other people’s sin. No one was
willing to be open about his own transgressions.
As Daniel shared his disappointment about
the lack of transparency, I thought to myself, “How sad. How can God
move if they aren’t being honest with themselves and each other?”
The Lord quickly showed me I was guilty too. He pointed out
a time when someone asked me for counsel, and she hadn’t seemed to benefit from
our talk.
I hadn’t told her I’d struggled with the same problem; I
felt like it would destroy my credibility. Suddenly, I wondered if she would
have received more help if I’d shared my failures.
We like to look our best. If we share our shortcomings, we
might ruin our reputation. We could be misunderstood, or rejected.
If others knew our hidden sins, it could cause them to
stumble.
Instead of risking vulnerability and getting help, we put
on a false front. We play a game of Chistianese with others, with ourselves —
and even with God.
There are times we need to be discreet, but it’s never
healthy to play games with the Lord. If we want to be more Christ-like, we need
to confess our sins.
He already knows our transgressions, but He likes for us to
bring them to Him, being open and honest.
God’s instructions for Old Testament sacrifices reveal
God’s view of our confessions.
The Lord gave Moses specific instructions for how priests
were to make peace and sin offerings.
He said for the priest to kill an animal,
and from the sacrifice “he shall present an offering by fire to the
Lord, the fat that covers the entrails [bowels], and all the fat that is on the
entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, . . . and the lobe
of the liver” (Leviticus
3:3-4).
We try to give our best to God, but He clearly instructs
Moses to sacrifice the worst parts of the animals.
Why would the Lord want trash pieces — the kidneys, the
liver, and the fat around the bowels? Why not the filet mignon and T-bones?
The kidneys and liver both filter toxins from the blood so
they can be flushed from the body as waste.
When poisons are too concentrated to filter out quickly,
they are stored in the fat until a later day. The kidneys, liver, and fat are
the body’s toxic waste disposal system.
After they cut out the parts that rid the
body of poisons, “the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar as
food, an offering by fire for a soothing [sweet] aroma; all fat is the Lord’s.” (Leviticus 3:16).
Likewise, all our sin is to be offered up to God. It is the
Lord’s. It is a sweet, soothing aroma in His nostrils.
Hidden sins are toxic. If we hold back the fat, liver, or
kidneys in an effort to hide our sins and give God only our best, the toxins
will remain in our lives and contaminate us.
They will harm our relationships with others as well as
with God, leading to bitterness, murmuring, gossip, strife, divisions, and
more.
God made provision for us to not be sickened by poisons. If
we give them to Him, He‘ll flush our systems with Christ’s blood, washing us
completely clean.
Filet mignon and T-bone may seem better to us, but what
brings the Lord the most joy is cleansing us of toxins that separate us from
fellowship with Him.
In the days of Moses, the people had only one opportunity a
year to be fully cleansed of their sins.
However, because of Jesus’ blood we can be washed daily. We
don’t have to let poisoned fat accumulate.
We can freely offer our toxins up to God. They are not
offensive to Him. They are a sweet, soothing aroma, well-pleasing to the Lord.
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you to know Him
and experience an amazing change in your own life. Discover how you
can find peace with God. You can also send us your prayer
requests.
Kay
Camenisch is a pastor’s wife, mother,
and grandmother. She delights in seeing God’s Word applied in people’s lives,
leading to stronger relationships with God and with one another. Kay and her
husband, Robert, co-authored The Great Exchange: Bound by Blood, which explores the
commitment the living God has made so that we can better understand that He is
sufficient in any situation. She is also the author of Uprooting Anger: Destroying the Monster Within.She has been
published in The Upper Room and The Lookout. Contemporary Drama
has published one of her plays, and she is a regular contributor to a newspaper
column. Learn more at randkcamenisch.com.
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