Altars

Beginning in Genesis, people throughout the Bible built altars to God. Altars are built to worship God. They symbolize holiness and reverence toward an awesome God. An Altar can be inside a building or part of a room. Outside or inside. They are built to commemorate what God has done for us, to connect with God during times of trouble. Altars were also built to perform sacrifices for the atonement of sins in the Old Testament.

Because of Jesus’ redeeming death on the cross, we do not need to perform sacrifices today like the Old Testament biblical characters did. In fact there are several verses in the Old Testament warning about building altars. The guidelines for building altars have been set by God so that we do not turn the altar into self-worship as opposed to God worship. Biblical characters built altars out of uncut stones in order to prevent them from being proud or boastful of their own handiwork, which might result in self-worship.

The purpose of altars is to connect us with God in holy worship. Whether that worship consists of thanking God, commemorating what God has done, or simply praising God for who he is. The art of connecting with God through real, reverent worship has been lost. The solution is not to physically build an altar to God. It is not necessarily the practice that has been lost, but the principle and the purpose. We get so busy and so focused on ourselves and we have stopped giving credit where it is due. We have stopped worshipping God simply because he is God. We might briefly sputter a “Thank you God” when something good happens to us. We serve a living and powerful God who is worthy of worship. Altars are reminders of what God has done and who God is. Sometimes we get so busy with ourselves and we have done and what we are doing that we completely forget about who God is and what has done and what he is doing.

Break free of the chains that are holding you back and run straight into the arms of Christ. Thank him for who he is. Remember everything that he has done. Thank him for what he has done. Connect with him like you think you have forgotten how, and worship him simply for who he is. There is nothing greater on this earth than to experience and connect with God. Stop focusing on yourself and fix your eyes upon Jesus.