ALWAYS CHASE AFTER THAT WHICH IS GOOD

A Living Sacrifice

The Gospel is not just a statement of facts. It is not a collection of theoretical truths to be studied and pondered and debated. It is living reality. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer so that the truths of the Gospel may be evident in every area of our lives. [Cf: OBC ]

(Rom 12:1) Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

The Apostle Paul opens Romans Chapter 12 with a –Therefore..., in light of the great mercies that God has lavished on us through His Blood on the cross. As the verse reads, we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice, as our spiritual service of worship. After all, this is the very least we should be doing after what he has done for us? Agree? So how do we do this?

Under the Old Testament Levitical Sacrificial system there were five offerings, Guilt, Sin, Fellowship, Grain and the Burnt offering. The burnt offering is the sacrifice being referred to by Paul in Romans 12. The Burnt offering was the highest of all the offerings because it represented the life of the offerer himself. The fire burned all day and all night and was all consuming. The animal took the place of the offender, the sinner in the fire on the Lord's altar. Christ's sacrificial offering (taking our place) was also all consuming, and instead of having to be repeated over and over again, it was once and for all. Again I ask, how are we suppose to sacrifice our bodies daily to our Lord?

Remember when Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane on the eve of His crucifixion? As he prayed Luke said that His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:44) Jesus was in anguish as He wrestled with the reality of what was about to unfold. Despite His feeling of isolation, Jesus gave Himself over to His Father's will, not His own:

(Luk 22:42) saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."

He was ready and willing to God to sacrifice Himself to correct the disobedient sin and error from long ago in the Garden of Eden.

We today can rightly sacrifice ourselves by giving our whole beings over to His will, abandoning our will and the will of the corrupt world in which we are Sojourners. The more we know about Christ Jesus, the more effective a sacrifice we become. The supernatural sanctification process is on going, changing us bit by bit through His hand, His will, His effort. Jesus does this. We just have to be willing, and place His will always in front of our will. For us humans, this is a very difficult task. Overcoming ourselves, our pride, our selfishness, our Egos, and placing Christ first, that is how we sacrifice.

Almighty Father, Lord Jesus, let all that I do this day be as a result of Your will and not my will. Show me, grow me, teach me, all glory to you, In the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?