ALL on the ALTAR, I LAY... Elisha A. Hoffman wrote in his song “You have longed for sweet peace, and for faith to increase, And have earnestly, fervently prayed; But you cannot have rest or be perfectly blest until all on the altar is laid... till our body and soul He doth fully control.... of the fellowship sweet we shall share at His feet, when our all on the altar is laid” As places for sacrifice, altars were charged with a sense of holiness where people approach God and in some cases, also seek refuge. Altars might be stone, either shaped or natural or of earth or of metal as was the altar of incense. The essence of a physically constructed altar in the Old Testament was for a meeting place with God. When the altar is complete and installed in the tabernacle, the priests must burn special incense on it every morning and evening. This symbolises prayers ascending to God. “Let my prayer be set forth as incense before you, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” Psalms 141: 2 (AMP). The continual burning of it symbolizes a frequent gratefulness and dependence on God. ...“and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” Revelation 5: 8 (NIV). The gift of God for mankind; His ultimate sacrifice of Jesus for the redemption of our souls; that the resurrection of Jesus affords us a repositioning with Christ and before God; this rebirth allows us a direct right of entry henceforth to the Throne of Grace. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4: 16 (NIV). The beauty of this grace freely given us is that we no longer need a priest for the purpose of access to God as it was in the Old Testament times. The practical implication of this must be translated into action in the lives of those who have experienced salvation in Christ. The best required of us is to consciously present all of ourselves continually before God. Apostle Paul was very passionate about the response of a believer to God’s mercies. “I appeal to you therefore brethren and beg of you in view of (all) the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies (presenting all your members and faculties) as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship” Romans 12: 1 (AMP). The offering of the living bodies of believers as sacrifices contrasts with the Old Testament offerings of dead animals. Here, the “body” represents far more than just our belongings or money- in very practical terms; it means the totality of our lives, plans and daily activities. This offering of ourselves is the spiritual act of worship that we can give to God, it goes far beyond our physical Church attendances, when we are at school, at home, at work, or at any place, God expects that the totality of ourselves be always committed to Him. We are to commit our thoughts, what we have, how we live, our time, energy, efforts, also our physical bodies, heads, hands, tongues, even our minds, emotions and attitudes. Invite God to think and speak through you, let Him touch lives using you. This sacrifice refers to the renewing of our minds “Do not be conformed to this world (this age) (fashioned after and adapted to its external superficial customs) but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude), so that you may prove (for yourselves) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you)” Romans 12: 2 (AMP). This renewing is an internal process, a reorientation of our world view as we seek to live the way Christ lived and to think as He would have us think. Therefore, God wants us to be purified by Him until His reflection shines through us and allow the fire of His holiness to destroy sin in our lives so that we can carry out His work in the right spirit and then, God will accept our offerings. “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?” Psalms 24: 3 (NIV). God requires four things: Clean hands that do no evil; A pure heart- not only must our actions and words be right, but so must be our thoughts and motives, we must harbour no selfish ambitions or worldly goals in our lives. This is what is meant by not lifting up our souls to what is false. Our values and ideals must not be based on worldly patterns of thoughts, reasoning, fashions, rather than by God’s Word. We must be truthful and honest in speech at all times. Aside the spiritual cleansing we get as we place our all on God’s altar, our fears, pains, lack, hopes and aspirations are not by-passed by God in this process. Our dependence on God allows for His intervention even when we find ourselves within stormy seas of life experiences. Friend, the challenges that life presents are overwhelming- you cannot handle your life as effectively as placing its totality on the altar of God and allowing Him in your issues of decision making and living. He must be ultimate and His Word must shape all of your actions and attitudes. God demands absolute surrender to Him. “Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart, does the Spirit control? You can only be blest and have peace and sweet rest, as you yield Him your body and soul”. ayanfeLAMPROS. NOTE: TNCBC (The New Covenant Baptist Church) AMP (Amplified Bible version) NIV (New International Version)