In the book of Exodus, we read how the Israelites needed the blood of a spotless lamb to save themselves from physical death. Today, we need the blood of God’s spotless Lamb — Jesus — to save us from spiritual death. And when we understand there’s nothing else that can save us but the blood of Christ, we realize how important it is to share that news with others.

God gave up His one and only Son so that we could be offered the gift of eternal life. All He asks is that we offer ourselves to Him in return. Scripture teaches us to surrender our whole lives to the Lord, and then to stand back and watch the amazing things He can do with us.

God sometimes tests us with the things He’s entrusted to us, in order to make sure that we hold Him at a higher priority than we hold that with which He’s blessed us. We might be called to sacrifice things we’d rather cling tightly to, but we’ve got to be willing to trust Him and to know that His way is always best.

Jesus died because He wanted us — and we have to be willing to be wanted in a different way, for His sake. People hated Jesus for the truth that He spoke, and people may hate us for speaking about the difference that He’s made in our lives. But Jesus didn’t back down, even when it ultimately led Him to the cross, and we have to be prepared to sacrifice everything for Him.

Obedience to God often involves giving up what we want in the moment, and trusting that what He has for us instead is worth our fleeting discomfort. Scripture promises that even though we’re called to live against the grain of this world, our sacrifice and commitment will be made worth it in Heaven one day.

In the Old Testament, people had to make animal sacrifices as payment for their sins, with Scripture telling us that the aroma of the sacrifice was pleasing to God. When Jesus died on the cross for us, God no longer smelled the sacrifice — He tasted it Himself when He gave up His only Son as payment for our sins. Because of that gift, we can experience true relationship with Him — but we’ll never understand the full goodness of God unless we taste it ourselves.

The Old Testament gives us a detailed picture of the Tabernacle that God commanded His people build in order for them to worship Him. It was beautiful, ornate, and precious — but the purpose of it was to slaughter animal sacrifices and spill their blood to cover the sins of the people. Since Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice whose blood has covered all our sins, we’re able to come before Him and be washed clean from our past.