“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht   

“Homily Grits Devotional”   http://www.homilygrits.com/

Matthew 5:23-24… Therefore if youbring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your giftthere before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and thencome and offer your gift. (NKJV) 

Scripture doesn’t tell us what the gift offered, at the altar is.  Notice it comes right after being angry with your brother.  Some gifts were brought to the altar as burnt offerings and sacrifices for a persons sins. We see Jesus teaching that the condition of our hearts takes precedence over Old Testament ceremonial practices, in… 

Mark 12:33… And to loveHim with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”  (NKJV) 

The scripture recorded in Mark, is a repeat of Jesus’ teaching at the end of His 3 years of public ministry–where Jesus gives us His 2 most important commandments, in…Matthew 22:36-40...  Jesus tells us that once we get these first 2 commandments down pat, all of the other laws will fall into place, in…Matthew 22:40…  “On these two commandments hangall the Lawand the Prophets.”  (NKJV)

The opening scripture comes at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, and is part of His “Sermon on the Mount” teaching. This scripture brings to mind what the Apostle Paul taught about harboring sins at the time Holy Communion is received. 

1 Corinthians 11:26-29…  For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. ²⁷ Therefore whoevereats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthymanner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But let a manexaminehimself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For he who eats and drinks in an unworthymanner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. (NKJV)

There are some churches that provide Holy Communion every Sunday.  This extremely important ceremony should not be engaged in by people who have not been saved by God’s grace; and by Christians who harbor sin in their lives.  Either of these violations will have the individual taking Holy Communion living “in an unworthymanner”,and they “will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord”.

Friends, we as Christians should be constantly examining our own lives for sins that we are harboring with-in ourselves.  We shouldn’t wait until just before receiving Holy Communion. Any unconfessed sin with-in the Christian, will negate the sweet fellowship the Spirit filled Christian will posses, when they are “Walking in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16) as obedient children of the Lord.

For Christians to be deemed practically righteous in God’s eyes, all they must do is confess, turn from, and repent of their sins…1 John 1:9…  God, with His infinite grace and His mercy, will forgive them and they will be walking in sweet fellowship with Him again. 

Many Christians (and want-to-be Christians), even though they are living in continuous unconfessed sin, take Communion because they don’t want to look bad in front of their fellow brothers and sisters.  Friends I would be more concerned with what the Lord thinks of my desecration of the body of Christ, than I would about what those around me though of my not taking Holy Communion. 

Jesus teaches this very thought in…Matthew 10:28…  And do notfear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fearHim who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  (NKJV)

Heavenly Father, I pray those reading Your Word today, would look at Holy Communion as the sacred time that it is. A time to bring to remembrance and to be thankful for the shed blood and broken body of Your Son Jesus Christ on the cross, so that those who have been graced with salvation, will have eternal life with You. I pray for this fullness of Christ for all of us, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen… 

Blessings in Christ,  bruce r mills 

P.S. Here is a link for this most important days writing, for those “want-to-be” Christians I mentioned above, who are led to find out more about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…

https://godsmanforever.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/gods-group-thoughts-for-7112013-the-truth-about-sin/

P.S.S.  Here is a link describing Levitical Sacrifices and Offerings… http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/topics/levitsac.html