The God-given Desire to Live for Him

Does God love prayer from people who hate His law? No! Today's devotion makes me think of how Jesus wonderously keeps His own as the Good Shepherd and gives His own the desire to follow Him. Last Monday night's Bible study, with Jim Reimann teaching, was excellent. These verses were brought out to show God's disdain for prayer from someone who hates His Law! "He who turns his ear away from listening to the Law, even his prayer is an abomination." Proverbs 28:9. "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, how much more when he brings it with evil intent!" Proverbs 21: 27
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January 20

Abel kept flocks. (Genesis 4:2)

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

As a shepherd Abel dedicated his work to the glory of God, offering a blood sacrifice on his altar. Therefore the Lord accepted Abel and his offering. This early example of a Christ-type is quite unmistakable and clear. Like the early morning's first ray of light barely illuminating the east at sunrise it does not reveal everything, but it clearly demonstrates the great truth that the sun is rising.

As we see Abel, a shepherd and a priest, offering a sacrifice of sweet aroma unto God, we detect Christ, bringing before His Father a sacrifice that Jehovah eternally accepts. Without cause Abel was hated by his brother in the same way the Savior was hated. The natural and carnal man hated the Accepted Man, in whom the Spirit of grace was found, and refused to rest until His blood had been shed.

Abel fell, sprinkling his altar and his sacrifice with his own blood, foreshadowing the Lord Jesus being slain by the hatred of mankind while serving as a priest before the Lord. "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). May we weep over Him as we see Him slain by the hatred of man, staining "the horns of [His] altar" (Ex. 29:12) with His own blood.

Abel's blood spoke to God, for "the LORD said to Cain, ' ... Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground'" (Gen. 4:9-10). And the blood of Jesus has a powerful voice, yet the focus of its effective cry is not vengeance--it is mercy.

Standing at the altar of our good Shepherd is precious beyond all measure! To gaze upon Him bleeding as the slaughtered Priest, and to hear His blood speaking peace to His flock--peace to our conscience, peace between Jew and Gentile, peace between mankind and their offended Maker, peace throughout ageless eternity for all blood-washed people--is precious beyond all preciousness.

Abel was the first shepherd in the chronology of time, but when it comes to the matter of excellence Jesus will forever be first in our hearts.

O great Keeper of the sheep, "We your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever" (Ps. 79:13) with our whole hearts as we see You slain for us.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

What a glorious picture we see today of the scarlet thread of redemption that is so beautifully woven through every book of the Bible! When we carefully read the Old Testament we cannot help but see Jesus on every page. Time after time, it's as though our gracious Heavenly Father, is saying, "Don't miss this!" or "Here's another picture of Who is coming."

Let us join with the Psalmist in prayer today, saying:

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar" (Ps. 118:26-27).

Thank You, Father, that Christ "entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12).
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