LIVING SACRIFICE

8 20 12 Living Sacrifice Ro 12 1 2         

Don’t forget to pray. 

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Note: Paul reveals to us the type of sacrifice that God wants us to make to him; he wants us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. A living sacrifice…not a dead one! Paul doesn’t say this is a command of God that we must do but it is something that God would be pleased with. Paul urges us to consider what sacrifice we should give to God in light of his mercy and grace. Have you ever stopped to do this yourself, to reflect upon the difference that Jesus Christ has made in your life? What Paul is really asking us to do is to reflect on why we live the way we will the way we live? Are we living in a way that would please God or attempting to please ourselves?

How we live reveals to us and to others whether or not we are living as a living sacrifice. The bad thing about living sacrifices is they tend to crawl off the altar! To live as a living sacrifice would mean we are living a life of devotion to God. A life characterized by loving him above all else. We would be living by his standards rather than the standards of the world or the standards of my own choosing. We would try to honor him in all we do and say. Our heart’s desire would be to please Him. We would be willing to separate ourselves from all activities that would cause us to doubt God’s Word or his Way or be a stumbling block. To live as a living sacrifice would be to choose the way of the Holy Spirit, submitting ourselves to his leading. When we are pressured to conform “to the pattern” of this world we must rely on the Holy Spirit to help us resist the temptation. Things change. We will have to give up some things, but what we gain is life, abundant life.

To successfully live as a living sacrifice requires our minds to be continually renewed and transformed into God’s way of thinking. The Holy Spirit will be our teacher and guide, giving meaning and understanding to the word of God and how it applies to our lives. This will keep our vision, our values, our plans, how we live and act, acceptable to God.   

Word from the Lord:  Beloved, the more sacrificial your life is lived, the more Christ-like you become. It means you’re being molded into the image of my son. This is my divine purpose for you. One of the great sacrificial ways you will be called to live is to unconditionally love those among you who are hateful and attempting to destroy you. You don’t’ have to like them, but you do have to love them in Christ. It’s not easy and the cost may be great but this is what it means to live as a living sacrifice. The love of Jesus is not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something but to give everything of himself to those who were the object of his love. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

Did the Lord speak to you today?  Why not write it down and claim it for His Glory.

Prayer:  What do you need to pray to the Lord today? Listen to your heart. He loves you!

If you are not interesting in receiving these devotionals please let me know and I will remove you from the list. I hope you enjoy them and that they encourage you to faithfulness. david