Someone asked me that in a discussion. “Do you have the Mind of Of GOD?”
My answer is/was: I don’t need the mind of GOD, I need to know what HIS WORD is; I need to keep HIS LAWS, then comparing my actions with HIS WORD, I know where I stand according to HIS LAWS.
I possess the intentionality to be Righteous by HIS Laws. The is a word there that requires a closer look: “Intentionality”. This I believe the Living GOD Of Israel desires more than any amount of sacrifice.
We will take a moment to discover what Intentionality and sacrifice have to do with the ALMIGHTY.
Definitions
Intentionality
First published Thu Aug 7, 2003; substantive revision Wed Oct 15, 2014
“Intentionality is the power of minds to be about, to represent, or to stand for, things, properties and states of affairs.”
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/intentionality/
Or:
Intentionality – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intentionality
Wikipedia
Intentionality is a philosophical concept and is defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy as “the power of minds to be about, to represent, or to stand for, things, properties and states of affairs”.
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Sacrifice | Definition of Sacrifice by Merriam-Webster
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrifice
Merriam‑Webster
Simple Definition of sacrifice. : the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone. : an act of killing a person or animal in a religious ceremony as an offering to please a god. : a person or animal that is killed in a sacrifice.
Sacrifice – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrifice
Wikipedia
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals to a higher purpose, in particular divine beings, as an act of propitiation or worship
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In addition to those definitions I also offer:
Sacrifice: as it relates to Offerings to the ALMIGHTY, we should look to the TORAH of Moses. First: Sacrifices were for humans, in that we seem to NEED a means to get closer to GOD, and for saying Thank you to HIM. They were not needed, requested or process given until after we left Egypt after 400 years.
Genesis 4:
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 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;
Here is what I see in these two verses about a burnt offering.
Cain in verse three, brought fruit or grain from the ground and burnt it, a so-so offering. If offered up to you, would you consider this a true Thank you?
Able brought the one of his best, which required selection and thought about what he was offering and why. How do I get there, “his best”, thought and intention involved. Consider that Able did not just go take a sheep, older or sick or just so-so. No he offered one of the first year animals, the fat one, health and hard to replace.
For as much as one received acceptance over the other, neither were sought by the LORD.
I believe that the LORD, even in the Sin sacrifice or the Burnt Offering is asking us for intentionality(the personal focused effort and a whole hearted effort, which demonstrates your desire to change your actions, to do right and good actions). This ‘intentionality’ is demonstrated in:
Deuteronomy 5:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
This is in opposition to common religious thought and action. Where in you could be bad all your life previous to this point in time(say, before going in for open heart surgery) you ask for forgiveness all of your sins are erased, so you go to heaven(what ever that is). Your soul is a blank, a zero, not evil any more. This is a very common sales pitch for most religions. You have become a ZERO.
You don’t like being a ZERO, forgiveness only gets you a ZERO. It could never get you a Plus(Righteous) which takes actions on your part. A minus is a sinner. Every soul is tasked with either Doing what GOD said(HIS LAW) or not. Forgiveness is of so little value: that it was only offered once so that Jeremiah would feel better, but asked for by Moses, but was not acknowledged by the GOD Of Our Fathers. Ref: Jeremiah 5:1 and Exodus 32:32.
Proof of actions: Deuteronomy 30:2 and shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and hearken to His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; OR Ezekiel 18:3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die. . . .20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father with him, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son with him; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.21 But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all My statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 None of his transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered against him; for his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. —I recommend reading the whole chapter of every reference I make and maybe the one before and the one after so that you understand the context of what is being said. The operative word in these is DO or “Do that which is Lawful”
You can do what is Right. You can change, but know that not even Moses, who the LORD Spoke “Mouth to Mouth” with could save even ONE other person. Nor was such ever needed. It is your actions that matter, now and for the future(yours and your family.)
Demonstrate your intentionality to do what is Right and Lawful, the LORD will take care of the rest. You should learn HIS LAWS so that you know what is right and what is wrong.
IT is to our benefit to HEARKEN until the LIVING GOD OF ISRAEL, and to our pain and shame, to do otherwise.
My prayer is that The LORD grant you eyes that see, ears that hear and an understanding heart, then you return unto HIM soon!(Isaiah 6: 9 And He said: ‘Go, and tell this people: hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart, return, and be healed.’)
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Shalom,
Yaakov