Success and Failure Blog

1. Be Thankful to God

The third priority in putting God first in one’s life is to show appreciation and be thankful to God, because it is of his fullness of grace we have all received grace upon grace, and since we are receiving what we were destined to receive, which is a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

We express our appreciation and gratitude to God by worshiping him in the acceptable manner with reverence and godly fear, and this is expressed in four (4) ways:-

1. Ascribing to the Lord the glory due to his Name

The main reason why we come and appear before the Lord is to humble ourselves before him because of his Sovereignty, and to express our grateful thanks to him. According to 1 Chronicles 16: 8-30; we are to; “Give thanks to the Lord! Call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing psalms to him; talk of all his wondrous works! For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; he is also to be feared above all gods.” Give to the Lord, glory and strength: give to the Lord the glory due to his name.

In Psalms 95 and 96 respectively we are told to; “Come, Let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song, for the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depth of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him, the sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.’

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”

“Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name; bring an offering and come into his courts, worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; and tremble before him.”

We are told in no uncertain terms in 1John chapter one verses 3-4 that, “Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” Therefore since Christian fellowship is with the Father and the Son, it is imperative that those who come before him are walking and practicing the truth, because, “God is light and in him is no darkness at all.’ And, “If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” True worshipers are to worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship him.

It is amazing and appalling to see how many people who profess to know and believe God, have very little respect for His word. They hold His commandments in gross contempt, and in the same breath, stand in awe at the doctrines, traditions, and commandments taught and practiced by men. Like Jesus Himself said to the Pharisees, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions.”

Only One God

Believe it or not there are many false gods which people inadvertently worship instead of the One and only true God. but even if there are so called gods, whether in heaven or on earth as indeed there are many gods and many lords, “There is but one God: the Father, from whom all things came, and for whom we live, and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).

Therefore, all credits, glory, honor and gratitude should be directed or channeled to the One and only true God, for to Him all glory and power belong, and it is He who gave to all life breath and everything else, and also in Him we all live , move and have our being. (Psalms 62:11 Acts 17:25, 28).

Unfortunately, however, we do not all channel our praises, glory, honor, and express our grateful thanks to the One and only true God. Whether wittingly or unwittingly, many serve and worship other gods rather than the One and only true God.

The Lord said to the nation of Israel, “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; there is none other beside Him. Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire” (Deuteronomy 4:32-36).

The rationale for all this was for Israel to consider in their heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; and that there is no other besides him.

However, in order for God to distinguish Himself as the One and only true God, and distinguish His people from all others, He made a conditional covenant with them, so that if obeyed, they shall be a special treasure to Him above all people, for all the earth is His. They are to Him a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Those who obey the covenant are described as, “A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that they may declare the praises of him who called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once they were not a people, but now they are the people of God; once they had not received mercy, but now they have received mercy” (Exodus 19:5-6, Leviticus 19:30; 26:2; 1 Peter 2:9)

1. Bring an Offering and come before his Courts

Bringing an offering before the Lord on his appointed holy convocation is the main objective for presenting ourselves before him. As a matter of fact, it is stated quite categorically in the book of Leviticus chapter 23: verse 37; “ These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day.”

This offering which we are to offer to the Lord whenever we present our selves before him, regularly, on every festival, and holy convocation is known as the burnt offering; with its grain and drink offering. This offering is so special and of such intrinsic importance, that it is, “Besides (or in addition to) the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your free will offerings which you give to the Lord.”

This special offering is of intrinsic importance: it is the offering which Jesus Christ as our High Priest is appointed to offer on behalf of our sins. In the book of Hebrews chapter 5: verse 1, and Chapter 8: verse three respectively states that; “Every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.” And, “For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One (Jesus Christ) also have something to offer.”

This offering is of such great importance and valuable to God on behalf of our sins, it is required from our hands not only at the appointed festival or holy days, but also on a regular basis. This offering is as equally important and useful, as it is sacred and sanctified. The Lord said to Moses; “Command the children, and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to me, you shall be careful to offer to me at their appointed time.”

The Lord continues; “This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs in their first year without blemish (the shadow of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God), day by day, as a regular burnt offering. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, the other lamb you shall offer in the evening.’ It is a regular burnt offering which was ordained at Mount Sinai for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.”

A burnt offering as clearly indicated is, a combination of; an animal sacrifice without spot or blemish, with its accompanying grain offering, and it’s accompanying drink offering. In the Book of Numbers chapter fifteen, the Lord said to Moses; “All who are native born shall do these things in this manner, in presenting an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. And if a stranger sojourns with you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord, just as you do, so shall they do. One ordinance shall be for you of the congregation and for the stranger who sojourns with you, an ordinance for ever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”

• A Thanksgiving Offering to God.

Before Christ was led to be crucified, he said to his disciples, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. And he took a cup and when he had given thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes:’ And, “He took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Lk.22:15-19).

Bread and wine is the designated thanksgiving offering attributed to the Melchizedek Priesthood from inception, because after Abram returned from rescuing his nephew lot, “Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand” (Gen.14:17-20).

To Moses the Lord said, “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: See that you present to me at the appointed time the food for my offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to me.” Say to them; this is the offering made by fire that you are to present to the Lord: two lambs a year old without defects, as a regular offering each day” (Num.28:1-3).

This regular burnt offering consisted of:-

• The lamb which represented Jesus Christ who loved us and gave himself up for us as a sweet smelling aroma and sacrifice pleasing to God. (Eph.5:2).
• The grain offering which was made up of fine flour mixed with pressed olive oil represents the broken body of Jesus Christ in the form of unleavened bread
• The drink offering which was a quart of a hin of a fermented drink (wine) represents the blood of Jesus Christ.

The rationale behind the morning and evening thanksgiving offering is explained by David, in the psalms and in his last instructions to the Levites. In the psalms he wrote; “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your loving kindness in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten stringed lyre and the melody of the harp, for you make me glad by your deeds,

O Lord. How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed” (Ps. 92:1-4).

And in his final instructions to the Levites, David instructed that; “They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on Sabbaths, and at New Moon festivals, and at appointed feasts” (1Chro.23:30-31).

Previous Articles – Put God First – Part #1 - Put God First – Part #2

d. Seek first God’s righteousness

It is stated quite distinctly that; “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb.12:28).

Our worship and appearance before God is to express our gratitude and thanksgiving for his manifold graces, and it must be done in a way that is acceptable to him with reverence and godly fear, but only because of his righteousness are we able to appear before him and worship him acceptably with reverence.

God under no circumstances will coexist with sin, he is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. Sin alienates man from God, and if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Therefore before on can have fellowship with the Father he/she must first be reconciled with him, and what reconciles us with the Father and grants us the boldness and confidence to present ourselves before God and worship him acceptably with reverence is the crucified body of Christ. For it is written; “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior; but now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col.1:21-22).

The apostle Paul further endorsed this belief by saying; “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great High Priest over the house of God, let us draw to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water (Heb.10:19-22).

Therefore it is imperative that we seek first the righteousness of God even before we can present ourselves before him, and furthermore, practicing his righteousness is what distinguishes the children of God from the children of the devil; for thus it is written: “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother” (1Jn.3:10).

Because of the importance and seriousness of this calling to seek first the righteousness of God, it is imperative that we establish and prove without a shadow of doubt, what is this act of righteousness we should seek first, and when practice differentiates the children of God from the children of the devil.

We can say with Certainty that, it can not be our own righteousness; because it is clearly stated that, “We are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousness are like filthy rags. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” We are all under the power of sin as it is written; “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God, all have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one” (Isa.64:6; Rom.3:10-12).

Neither can it be the righteousness from keeping the law, because it is again stated quite clearly that; “Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith, but as it were based on works. They stumble over the stumbling stone.” It is well understood that, “No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law; rather, through the law one becomes conscious of sin” (Rom.9:31-32; Rom.3:20).
What therefore is the act of righteousness we should seek first, and when practice differentiates God’s children from the children of the devil?

The righteousness which we are to seek first, and when practice differentiates the children of God from the children of the devil, is having faith in the act of righteousness by which man was imputed with righteousness. And since faith without works is dead, it means demonstrating this faith by whatever symbol that proclaims, represents, and demonstrates this act of righteousness.
It is stated that, “As the result of one man’s act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” (Rom.5:18-19).

This act of righteousness which imputed righteousness and brought life to all men, is the offering of the body of Jesus Christ which he offered to the Father as a sweet smelling aroma, and which satisfies his will, it is the bread of life that is our righteousness, the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.
From the inception of humanity beginning with Abel, offering the Lord his offering, his sweet smelling aroma is the source of man’s righteousness.

Immediately following the scripture which teaches that practicing righteousness differentiates the children of God from the children of the devil, we read the following instructions; “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning that we should love one another, and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brothers righteous” (1Jn.3:11-12).

So why did God regard Abel’s offering, and disregard the offering made by Cain? And, not only did he highly regard Abel’s Offering, but he also commended Abel as being a righteous man.
So how did Abel attain righteousness? This is what we learn from the scriptures; “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the first fruit of the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord has regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard” (Gen.4: 3-5).

We are further told that, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, by faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings” (Heb.11:4).
The reason why Abel’s offering was accepted, and Cain’s not accepted is because, Abel offered to the Lord the sacrifice, the sweet aroma which satisfies his will, one which depicted the best he could offer for his redemption. For the word of the Lord says clearly, “The life of all flesh is in the blood; and I has given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for ones life.

The priests are instructed by the Lord saying, “You must not redeem the first born of an ox, a sheep or a goat; they are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.” Again the Lord said to them; “The priests shall burn them (the fat) on the altar as food, and offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. You must not eat any fat or any blood” (Num.18:17; Lev.3:16-17).

The sprinkling of blood and the burning of the fat of clean animals which were offered by Abel, and also the priests the Levites were a type which foreshadowed the real sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the best, the sweet aroma, and only sacrifice that fulfills the Father’s will in presenting the worshiper holy and blameless before him.
It is this secret mystery that was hidden for ages in God who created all things; and that through the church, his manifold wisdom might now be made known to the principalities and powers (Satan and his demons) in the heavenly places.

This secret mystery was according to the eternal purpose which God has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confidence of access through our faith in him. Therefore, the practical righteous which one should seek first and which distinguishes the children of God from the children of the devil is faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ which is proclaimed and demonstrated by partaking of the bread and wine. As it is written; “For as often as you eats this bread, and drinks this cup you proclaim (demonstrate) the Lord’s death until he comes.”

When God’s people (the church) assemble together, they come to Mount Zion (the Church) and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in joyful assembly, and to the assembly of the first born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a Judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Jesus Christ is the mediator of the new Covenant which he instituted on the night before his crucifixion when he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ And took the cup gave thanks and offered it to them saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant which is poured for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt.26:26-28).

This covenant became in force only after the death of Jesus Christ, and became the means by which we can become ceremonially clean. For so says the scriptures; “He (Christ) entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.’

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when someone has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living” (Heb.9: 12-18).

Therefore the New Covenant which Jesus Christ instituted on the night before his death, became effective after his death, and it is now the means by which one becomes ceremonially clean and can now draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with their hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and their bodies washed with pure water, and Jesus Christ as their mediator interceding on their behalf.

Therefore to put God first by seeking first his righteousness is to offer the Lord his offering at his appointed times. For thus says the Lord; “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: ‘my offering, my food for my offerings by fire (zeal), my pleasing aroma, you shall take heed to offer to me at its season” (Num.28:2).

We were not left in ignorance as to when the due season, or the appointed times are, for they are clearly stated in the book of Numbers chapter 28 and 29, and Leviticus chapter 23. As a matter of fact a holy or sacred assembly is a time God has sanctified and set apart for his people to appear before him, and the specific purpose for this sacred assembly is to offer to him his offering, which is besides or in addition to anything else one offers to God.
For thus says the Lord in the book of Leviticus chapter twenty three, verses thirty seven and thirty eight which reads; “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord offerings by fire, burnt offerings (the Lamb – Jesus Christ), and grain offerings (flour mixed with oil – unleavened bread), sacrifices and drink offerings (wine), each on its proper day; besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, and besides your gifts, and besides whatever you have vowed, and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord.”

It is this act of righteousness that the children of God have become enslaved to, for having been set free from sin you have become slaves of righteousness. God requires that this offering, the food for his offerings, his sweet smelling aroma be offered to him at its appointed time, and has set aside specific times for his children to come together before him, specifically to offer to him his offering, this is why the practice of this act of righteousness differentiates the children of God from the children of the devil.
This is the act of righteousness, that when practice produces holiness, and ultimately everlasting life.

It is this same act of righteousness that when practice, one becomes righteous even as Christ is righteous. Therefore we have been warned saying; “Dear children, do not let anyone deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous just as he is righteous” (1Jn.3:7).
The same way Abel was commended as being a righteous man because he offered the Lord the offering which was pleasing to him, in like manner, we attain righteousness by faith when we offer the Lord his offering, his food for his offerings, his pleasing aroma at their appointed time.

The children of God are distinguished as, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, in order that they may declare the praises of him who called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. They are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

So let us learn to put God first, and do not worry saying, “What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.