Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 35-37.
“Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.’ So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone’” (Genesis 35:1-3).
Jacob was to build an altar to worship God. But three things had to be done first by those who would approach the Lord at Bethel. They had to put away any foreign gods, purify themselves, and change their garments.
In order to please God and offer acceptable sacrifices to Him (cf. Romans 12:1), we must do these things as well.
Put away foreign gods. Remove any object of your devotion that would compete with God (1 John 5:21). He demands your full allegiance (Matthew 6:24).
Purify your heart. Repent and turn from your old life of sin (Acts 3:19; Colossians 3:9). Become dead to sin so that you can become alive to God (Romans 6:11).
Change your garments. If you have not yet done so, you must be “baptized into Christ” so that you may be “clothed… with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). If you have done that, “Put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11).
God wants us to offer acceptable sacrifices to Him (Romans 12:1). Following Jacob’s instructions will help us do this.
Tomorrow’s reading: Genesis 38-40
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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