Praising the Lord with a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to him

[Bible Verses]

Leviticus 1:2-3

Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD.'

Leviticus 22:21

When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable.

Leviticus 22:25

And you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I Peter 2:5

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

My reflections:

A recurring theme in the Bible whenever sacrifices or worship is mentioned is that our sacrifices and our worship must be acceptable and pleasing to God. For that, we cannot offer anything in any way we like, but must offer a sacrifice without defects or blemishes and worship him in a whole and holy manner. God, who is holy, demands that we be holy as well (I Peter 1:16) and does not accept a sacrifice that is not holy.

As I imagine something or someone that is without a blemish and is beautiful, I can picture a bride on her wedding day. Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a wedding several times. And in Revelations, the New Jerusalem, the Holy City, representing an assembly of the saints, is described as being "prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband" (Revelations 21:2). And the bride's fine linen that she is wearing is said to be the righteous acts of the saints (Revelations 19:8).

If our times with Jesus in heaven are like wedding banquets, then I would like to think of our worship services on this earth as wedding practices. We are preparing for the immeasurable joy we will have as we spend our eternity with the Lord and praise him. While on earth, we must also practice worshipping him without blemishes, by wearing fine linen of righteous acts in everyday living.