Duty or Delight?

“‘The multitude of your sacrifices – what are they to me?’ says the LORD. ‘I have more than enough of burnt offerings.’” Isaiah 1:11. “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt sacrifices.” Mark 12:33.

I love what God is revealing through my Bible Study, Duty or Delight? I didn’t even realize that in some areas of my life I was approaching Him out of duty. This morning ‘burnt offerings and sacrifices’ really stood out in my reading. It referred to the rituals and habitual exercises God’s chosen people performed out of duty. This could have been the slaying of animals for sacrifice, the tithing of their income, or a litany of numerous practices. The Jewish law back then was made up of 613 commandments. In an effort to make these laws doable they ‘cluttered up their faith with hundreds of rules derived from individual interpretations.’ p. 111 – Duty or Delight?

Fast forward 1000 years in the second verse and we see a scribe who is repeating what Jesus has just taught regarding the importance of rules verses relationship. When we pigeon-hole ourselves into certain rituals, self-expectations and duties for God we limit the pleasure and joy factor which can come through merely loving Him and others and receiving love from Him.

For 5 ½ years it has been my burnt offering (the ritual for which I created) to awake, arise and get right to it (devotional) so I can post first thing and be on my way. I had a job in the secular world when I implemented that schedule for I had to get to work by 7:00 am. I am now in a season in which I have the entire day for Him, yet I still cram that time in the first few hours. I have begun to feel that it is a duty instead of a delight. He knows my heart and wants freedom for our love to grow. He wants me to delight in Him and take pleasure in His love like He does me.

Thankfully I will shake it up a bit and just relax, move in and out of Him allowing the freedom of the Holy Spirit to command my day in delight. If you have an identified ministry such as morning devotionals, serving someone else, financial gifting, etc… measure the delight of your heart. Are you offering something ‘that God has more than enough of' through duty or are you offering what is most important to Him – your love and delight in Him?