PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Leviticus 3:1–2
“If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the Lord an animal without defect. You are to lay your hand on the head of your offering and slaughter it. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash the blood against the sides of the altar.”
CONSIDER THIS
The word if is incredibly small, but it has great consequences. If places you at a fork in the road where you have a choice to make. If allows you to choose the posture of your heart and the trajectory of your future. Wow, that is a lot of power in a small package, but it is an important word for us this week as we focus on surrendering our thanks. Yes, you read that correctly. As we start a new week in Lent, we are surrendering our gratitude and thanksgiving as we ask the Lord to transform us into His image.
The third offering the Lord teaches the Israelites is known as the peace offering or the fellowship offering because in the Hebrew, the word for this offering is selemim, which has a root connection to the Hebrew word shalom or peace and it can also mean a vow. This offering was brought as a celebration of God’s faithfulness for answered prayers and it was often part of a community celebration meal because only a small portion of the animal was placed on the altar while the rest of the animal was shared with family and friends.
But let’s return to this small word if. The peace offering was optional. It was not part of the daily sacrifices made at the temple but was given as a freewill offering or to fulfill a vow. The Lord did not require it, but He desired it. He wanted His children to hit the pause button in their lives to acknowledge His gifts; He wanted the community to share these moments of joy and answered prayers with other believers.
But how can an optional offering of thanks be important to our journey this Lent? Let me ask, have you ever watched a child being given a gift? After they tear into the package and pull out of the box the glorious toy they have been asking for, what happens? Typically, you hear the parent whisper, “What do you say?” and then the child says thank you as the joy spreads across their face! At the same time, everyone else gathered in that room smiles or cheers because they have witnessed a beautiful exchange of appreciation. And every parent hopes that after a few years or a few holidays, the child will respond without prompting because he has developed a habit of giving thanks.
This habit changes us. We develop an attitude of gratitude. This week, our offering and altar story will help us learn how to surrender our thanks and gain peace. Embracing the surrender of thanks must be done in all circumstances; it has a cost, marks a covenant, commends, and celebrates despite the chaos of life. All of this happens if we choose to offer the Lord our thanks as a peace offering. Get ready to give some thanks and praise this week!
THE PRAYER
Lord, it seems only right that we begin with praise. Thank You for this Lenten journey and the opportunity we have been given to study Your Word, to be expectant for the Holy Spirit to transform us, and the joy of sharing this season with others. Thank You, Jesus! Amen.
THE QUESTIONS
What can you thank God for today? What is something God has provided for you when you did not stop and give Him the gratitude He deserved?
For the Awakening,
Susan Kent
Subscribe to get this in your inbox daily and please share this link with friends.
6 Responses
I believe that due to the times that we live in, we should be praying for more grace so that we will be able to say along with Paul, “I know both how to make due with little, and I know how to make due with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content — whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” Any one with eyes to see can observe the dark clouds forming. As true believers, we’re about to experience some stormy weather. In the meantime, I’ll be thankful for blessings that I’m experiencing now.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (I woke up today with the following words abiding in my heart.)
“Abide! Continually cultivate a consistent inner climate of heart-to-heart connection and two-way communication with Christ in you.”
How can we not be grateful when Jesus changes our lives? When a spiritual awakening fills my soul with the truth that God is my Father and that me being His child is the identity I’ve been searching the world for?
Though the world tries to distract me back into its ways and means, thanking Jesus and staying humble in His presence reminds me who I am, but more importantly, who He is: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Creator of the universe, the God who died so we wouldn’t have to.
Maybe the best way to be grateful is to keep wanting what we already have, Jesus.
Staying 💪’n Christ
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in te Lord and in His mighty power.
Hello. Thanks for sharing the wisdom that God is giving you. It’s a real blessing. I am curious about something and would appreciate a sincere answer. You can email me at stsimms@live.com. Yesterday and today my comments were not allowed on the blog, but Bob’s and Doc’s were. Can you tell me why? Sincerely, Steve Simms
This time my comment posted. Thanks again to everyone involved for the blessing of Wake-Up Call.
That happened to me once, also. 🤷🏻♂️