WWJD

Okay, so we've all heard the phrase "What would Jesus Do?" I have been pondering some things brought about by a statement that was made to me a couple of months ago. Someone said to me that a Sunday School teacher said to them the "the homeless are the most reached people in the world." It was said in a way that made me think it wasn't said in a good way. The statement troubled me. I didn't pursue anything with the person I was conversing with, because there were some things I needed to work out for myself, and it didn't seem that the conversation would be profitable. But, here is what I think about it after having time to sort through some things.
Jesus made it clear that He came for the lost. He didn't specify a race, creed, life station or appearance. In the gospels, Jesus usually rebuked the Pharisees. These were the "religiously pious" of the time. Uh-oh...there's my first question. Am I one of them? Am I a "religiously pious" person? I think it's easy in America today to become a modern day Pharisee. When I saw the movie "The Passion" one of the most memorable scenes was when the Chief priests and Pharisees rode past Jesus as He hung on the cross. I use the visual to check myself. Am I behaving like that?
God has given me the honor and privilege to teach occasionally at a church for Women on Friday mornings. He led me to a study called "What do You want from me, God?" that I am going to attempt to paste in here. I have found that what God actually wants from us, is so far from" religious. " Let's see if I can paste the whole thing.
What Do You Want From Me, God?
I want to share with you today something exciting; something that I think will simplify our Christian lives. It seems like this is something that we should know already, but it seems to be a plan of the enemy to try to “muddle” and complicate our Christian lives so that we become ineffective. I pray that after today, we can all move more quickly to get back to the place in which God wants us to be. I want to answer the question, “What do You want from me, God?” I’ll tell you right now that part of the answer is pure religion. We’ll get to that later. First, let’s look at Saul. Saul tried to give God what Saul thought God would want, and that is where I got my first lead on “what do You want from me, God?”
(Read I Samuel 15)
We see that Samuel gives Saul a message from the Lord. It is a clear message. He tells Saul to smite and destroy Amalek. This is a nation that had done evil to the people of Israel, and God had appointed this time as the time to avenge that act. We see in Ex. 17:8-16 and Deut. 25:17-19 what happened between Israel and Amalek. Not only did God tell Saul to smite and destroy Amalek, He gives clear instructions on what was to be done. From the time that the children of Israel had come into the Promised Land and had begun driving out their enemies, God had told them exactly what to do in regards to their battles. They would either destroy only the people and keep the goods of the city as spoils, or totally destroy everything from people, animals, jewels, etc. This was an instance where God made it clear that they were to destroy everything.
So, Saul gathered his men and went to the city of Amalek. After letting the Kenites escape, Saul smites the Amalekites. Vs. 8 is where he gets into trouble. Unfortunately, Saul has no idea the consequences he is about to receive for his choice. In vs. 8-9 we see that Saul not only takes the king of the Amalekites (Agag) captive, but Saul and the people keep the best sheep, oxen, fatlings, and lambs and all that was good. They only destroyed what was vile and refuse. I’m sure it seemed like an okay idea at the time. They were in the heat of battle; no one was really stopping to think too clearly. Maybe the livestock was of a much better quality than the ones back home. We will see in a minute what Saul’s reasoning was for why the animals were not destroyed. I think this is a pretty important thought. Saul was given the Word of the Lord, he had CLEAR instructions and yet Saul chose to do something different. How many times do we have clear instructions from the Lord, and we come up with a reason to do it just a little bit different? Do we let reasoning interfere with total obedience to God?
Let’s keep going and see what is the result of his actions.
God tells Samuel that Saul did not obey the commands given his. It says that Samuel was grieved and cried unto the Lord all night. What devotion Samuel had for this king, anointed by God. Then, Samuel goes to find Saul. Saul greets him and says, “Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” Wow! That is boldness. To walk up to a prophet of the Lord and boldly lie-Wow! Vs. 14 is one of my favorites when I picture it. Samuel says, “What meaneth then this bleating in my ears, and the lowing of oxen which I hear?” He doesn’t leave Saul much room to wiggle, does he? But look at how much room Saul makes for himself. We really see here what kind of leader Saul is. He puts the blame on the people. Not only that, but he also says that they were saving the animals for sacrifices to God. He tried to cover his disobedience by saying that it had a “holy” purpose. Saul had a boldness that made me shake my head.
However, God reminded me that not too long ago I did the same thing. At the end of February, Graceland had a sale on CD’s- they were a great price. I felt the Lord lay on my heart to buy one CD. When I went that morning, reasoning and, ok, greed took over and I walked out with more than one CD. I thought, how could it be wrong to buy Christian music? It’s a tool for praising God, right? Part of my consequences for that were that I have not liked one CD I brought home without permission. It is not impossible to find ourselves in the same position that Saul was in.
So, Saul not only disobeys, but he tries to make it a “holy” reason for disobedience. This is scary ground. Saul’s reasoning, and most likely the reasoning of the people around him, caused him to forget God’s CLEAR instruction and also caused him to make it “appear holy”. They deceived themselves, and God’s judgment was swift. Saul tried to make a second appeal in vs. 21 and even tries to make it look like he DID obey, but it doesn’t change God’s mind. Vs. 22 is a verse that I have heard often spoken, but when you hear it in the context of this story, it takes on a much more rich meaning.
“And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better then sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”
Vs. 26, 35 show what happened to Saul, in part, because of his actions; but I also think it was because God knew Saul’s heart. God rejected Saul from being king because Saul rejected the Word of the Lord.
God really drew me to vs. 22 in this passage. When Samuel posed the question- Does God have as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice as in obedience, it made me want to look deeper.
Let’s look at a few verses and see what God has to say about sacrifices.
Ps. 40:6
Ps. 51
Is. 1: 10-20
Hosea 6:1-11
Matt. 9:10-13 & 12:7

It is very interesting to me that most of these passages in the Old Testament are actually passages referring to repentance, cleansing, and sanctification. I believe that God is calling apart His people for repentance, not sacrifices. Hebrews 10 makes it clear that the sacrifices could not take away sins (vs.4) But how many times in our distorted minds do we feel we can “make up for things” if we sacrifice more, or offer more offerings. God wants us to know that the only way to let go of sin is through repentance and forgiveness, which came through Jesus’ blood being shed on the Cross. He wants us to lay down our pre-conceived ideas about the way things “should” be done, and just be obedient. When we clear out the junk in our lives and can hear God’s voice and we make a decision to obey no matter what our soul thinks about it, we will walk in victory and freedom, peace and joy. We can no longer listen to the devil’s lies and be convinced by them. The lies that say, “If you just do more, God will love you more.” We are wasting our time on insufficient sacrifices. I believe that now more than ever our time is short and we MUST come to a place of making everything count.
If God does not want sacrifices and offerings from us, I think we need to ask him, “What do you want from us, God?” In fact, how many times have we said that to God? Crying out in desperation, frustration or even anger, “ What do you want from me, God?” The good news is that His Word makes it clear what God wants from us.
I Sam. 15:22- obey, hearken
Ps. 51:17- broken spirit, broken and contrite heart
Is. 1:16- wash and make clean; put away the evil of your
Doings from before His eyes; cease to do evil
Is. 1:17- Learn to do well; seek judgment; relieve the
Fatherless, plead for the widow. (James 1:27)
Hosea 6:6- desired mercy; the knowledge of God (Dan.11: 32)
Micah 6:8- do justly; love mercy; walk humbly with thy God
(Deut. 10:12-13)
Matt. 9:13, 12:7- mercy

James 1:27 tells us what "pure religion" is," Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."
Wow, it says right there to visit these two (fatherless and widows- basically abandoned people) in their affliction. It doesn't say to try to get them into your station of life so you can fellowship. It says, visit them in their affliction. I disagree with the tone of the original statement that the homeless are the most reached people, and I don't really see in Scripture where our mission field is really much else.
Maybe God has done a miracle in me, but I love every chance I get to minister to the homeless. They are much easier to show their need of God. It's much more difficult to convince an affluent person that they actually have a need that they can NEVER fulfill.
I hope this study has shown you what God thinks about "sacrifices", and religion.