KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 8:6 KJV” And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.”

The SCRIPTURE above speaks of a Roman centurion whose servant was paralysed. He called on Jesus to come and heal his servant. The account of Luke reveals certain aspect of the story, that Matthew did not mention. In Luke’s account the centurion had built a synagogue for the Jews. (Luke 7:1-11) It was the Jewish leaders who he consulted to call on the master to attend to him. When the Lord heard about the man’s generosity and sacrifice for the people of God, He said He would come and heal his servant. The Lord had remarked that the first part of His earthly ministry was to the lost sheep of Israel. Mat 15:24 KJV” But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Why didn’t the Lord refuse to go to this Roman Centurion? The centurion’s love for the Jews, expressed by his great sacrifice he made, in building the synagogue for the people of God. In the supernatural realm, sacrifice remains one of the fastest protocols to access God’s audience.

In 2 kings 3 :3&4, the Bible said king Solomon loved the Lord. He demonstrated this love by sacrificing one thousand burnt offerings to the Lord. The Bible said God came to King Solomon in a night dream and asked Solomon to name   whatever he would want God to do for him. This is like God signing a blank cheque for a person to write any amount on it. Throughout the scriptures sacrifices of various persons have always attracted God’s favourable response. In a figurative sense Jesus’ own words meant, he should not have accepted to go to the Roman Centurion but, because of the principle of sacrifice He accepted to go and heal his dying servant

Dear child of God, what kind of service are you rendering to the Lord. Is it an ordinary service or a sacrificial one? The story of Cain and his brother Abel explains this principle quite vividly. (Genesis 4:3-7) Cain brought an ordinary offering unto the Lord while Abel chose the first and the best of his flock. The scriptures said God had respect unto Abel’s sacrifice, but rejected Cain ‘s. The principle underlying this response from God, is actually a response to one’ s love for Him. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord with everything of your being. It is not just a desire for favour, but a sincere love for God that moves you to make grave sacrifices to the furtherance of his Kingdom. Please note that you can give sacrificially without love, but you can’t love without giving sacrificially

CONFESSION

I love the Lord with all my heart, my soul and my strength. All that I have is His. I therefore give sacrificially to Him, whenever He ask me. He likewise attends to me whenever I need Him.

FURTHER STUDIES

Genesis 8:20 KJV And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Genesis 4:4 KJV “And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: