In pursuit of JEHOVAH'S Favor.

 Leviticus Ch.8:16NIV"Moses also took all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys and their fat, and burned it on the altar."

1Samuel Ch.2:15-17ASV"Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled flesh of thee, but raw. 16And if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 17And the sin of the young men was very great before JEHOVAH; for the men despised the offering of JEHOVAH.

18But Samuel ministered before JEHOVAH, being a child, girded with a linen ephod."

Leviticus Ch.7:25ASV"For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto JEHOVAH, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. "

The sacrices and freewill offerings made at JEHOVAH'S sanctuary under the law covenant were foreshadows of the even better sacrifices Christ's High Priesthood facilitates. Yet a careful study of these illuminates key principles as to what JEHOVAH'S Standards are re:acceptable offerings.

The Fat mentioned in these passages was considered the most valuable part of the meat. Note that JEHOVAH insisted that the most valuable part of the sacrifice be offered first and that not even the priests were to convert any of it to personal use on pain of death.

Roman's Ch.12:1NKJV"I beseech[a] you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your [b]reasonable service."

So mere ritual will not do ,the Lord JEHOVAH is entitled to the most desirable/valuable part of our inner life. If we are not leading with an offering of our inner self to JEHOVAH exclusively our overall offering will be displeasing to JEHOVAH. Certainly it would be idolatrous to make material/hedonistic pursuits the centre of our affections and concerns. None of this is because JEHOVAH is a joyless fuddy duddy who begrudges his servants ever having any fun. Rather having created us for a particular purpose he understands that there can be no deep and abiding Joy found outside of that purpose. But joy is an elusive quarry. The trick is to turn Joy in to our pursuer rather than our quarry . JEHOVAH Alone can help us with that. He is worthy of our best,after all we got it from him.