# 85 Touching the heart of God

The Book of Genesis Day 85 Ge 8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. 22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease." Animal sacrifices as an act of worship have been around since the days of Abel., and the first thing Noah did after leaving the ark was engage in a voluntary act of worship, expressing gratitude to God for sparing he and his family from the flood. What to offer? Well certainly not one of the pairs of animals that God had brought to him, they would be needed to replenish the earth. But God had brought extra clean animals (7 of each) to him, and they were available for sacrifice! Now just imagine the condition of the earth at this time. It has gone from a place of violence that was a stench to the nostrils of God, to the fragrance of the aftermath of a summer rain shower. Now add to that the smell of barbecued chicken, or a turkey in the oven for Thanksgiving, or any of your favorite smells coming out of the kitchen. This was what was now wafting up to the nostrils of God, but it wasn’t so much the smell, as it was the grateful condition of Noah’s heart., and the foreshadowing of the “clean” sacrifice of God’s only Son. Eph 5:2 reminds us of this sweet smell, “ And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Look how this simple act of worship on Noah’s part moved the heart of God! God in effect said “Even though man is for the most part evil, there are times when men voluntarily engage in acts of love and worship toward Me, and these isolated acts of worship make it so worthwhile, and I love this so much, that I will never curse the earth again for man’s sake. As long as the earth remains, seedtime, harvest, cold, heat, and day and night shall not cease!” What a promise! All because Noah touched the heart of God as he freely offered burnt offerings. This kind of worship flows out of a heart that has been convinced that God is God! True worshipers will worship theFather in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. Noah was convinced that God was God and out of that conviction flowed simple acts of faith and obedience (Build and load) and these acts put the stamp of truth and genuineness of his faith and obedience. The challenge for us is to ask ourselves, “What is wafting it’s way up to the nostrils of God from our lives?” Would it be enough for God to spare the earth. Are we worshipping Him in spirit and truth, or just going through the motions? Reflect: What are ways we can express our gratitude toward God for His gift of salvation? Pray: Lord, help my life to be a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to You!