Every Devoted Thing

Based on Leviticus 26-27, Mark 2

"Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord." Leviticus 27:28

Every time we do something for God, or give to Him, He sees it. He honors it. It is most holy unto Him! Remember, our hearts are the most precious to Him! When we give from our hearts, especially when we give our time & talents in our devotion to Him, God blesses that.

"If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land."
Leviticus 26:3‭-‬6

These couple chapters of Leviticus show the great blessings of obedience to God, and the cursings of disobedience. We must devote ourselves to God & give Him our all! We can give what we want, but we have to give what God wants, too! He loves when we devote things especially to Him, but we can't withhold other things either! We can't replace a relationship with things-the first & best devoted thing should be our hearts & lives! Obedience is better than sacrifice, as Samuel said!

"And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him."
Mark 2:13‭-‬14

Wait, what!? A tax collector!? YEP! This Levi was Matthew! And as soon as Jesus asked Him to follow, He obeyed. He didn't just say, "Here, just take all the money Jesus, that should help out the poor or something. Have a nice day!" Nope. Matthew gave himself. He forsook his past. He had a change of heart. Every. Devoted. Thing!!

So remember, Cain gave something contrary to God's requirements, so it was not accepted. God will take all we have, but will it come from our hearts? In the end, at the judgment seat, did we obey God's Word, or just sacrifice? Give & devote your love & time to God, and start with the heart!