How does "abolish the daily sacrifice" relate to maintaining our spiritual disciplines? Background of the Daily Sacrifice • Exodus 29:38-39 – “Now this is what you are to offer regularly on the altar each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight.” • Morning-and-evening offerings kept Israel in an unbroken, rhythmic relationship with the LORD. • The sacrifice was not optional, seasonal, or occasional; it was woven into the ordinary hours of every single day. Abolishing the Daily Sacrifice in Daniel 11:31 “His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress, and they will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.” (Daniel 11:31) • Enemy forces cut off the continual burnt offering, severing Israel’s regular approach to God. • Removing that daily rhythm opened the door for idolatry (“the abomination of desolation”) to stand where devotion once stood. Spiritual Disciplines as Today’s “Daily Sacrifice” • Prayer – Psalm 55:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 • Scripture intake – Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Acts 17:11 • Praise and worship – Hebrews 13:15 • Service and generosity – Hebrews 13:16 • Self-denial – Luke 9:23; Romans 12:1 These practices echo the morning-and-evening rhythm: consistent, deliberate, God-ward. How the Enemy Tries to Remove Our Daily Offering • Busyness: crowded schedules squeeze out quiet moments with the Lord. • Distraction: endless media scroll replaces meditation on Scripture. • Compromise: small concessions dull hunger for holiness (2 Timothy 4:10). • Weariness: prolonged trials tempt hearts to neglect worship (Galatians 6:9). • False teaching: philosophies that minimize personal devotion (Colossians 2:8). Safeguarding and Restoring the Rhythm • Establish set times; treat them as immovable appointments. • Start and end the day with brief but genuine engagement (morning/evening pattern). • Integrate Scripture with everyday tasks—audio Bible during commutes, verses on devices. • Cultivate community; mutual encouragement strengthens consistency (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Remove idols quickly; repent the moment anything rivals time with Christ (1 John 1:9). • Anchor habits in love, not legalism—remember His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). Encouraging Promises for Faithful Discipline • “They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:23) • “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must…take up his cross daily.” (Luke 9:23) • “Through Jesus…let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise.” (Hebrews 13:15) • Early Church believers met “daily” and were filled with gladness (Acts 2:46). Takeaway Just as abolishing the daily sacrifice in Daniel severed Israel’s continual communion with God, neglecting daily spiritual disciplines breaks our steady fellowship with Christ. Guard the rhythm, keep the altar of the heart burning, and let no rival extinguish the offering of a life presented to God each day. |
    |