Romans 12.1-2
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,
by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern
what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
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I am to be a living sacrifice. What a sobering thought! After all, a sacrifice is something that has great value that is being given up for something else. Oftentimes a sacrifice doesn’t seem to make sense!
When a Jew would offer livestock or grain as a sacrifice, an outsider may think this is a huge waste. These sacrifices are so valuable, even providing food and clothing and income for a family. That Jew himself may even inwardly be thinking, “this is a tragic loss!”
A true sacrifice, at least from the outside, looks wasteful. This is why I need faith; not faith that is in the object being sacrificed, but faith in the one whom I am sacrificing to. For me, this means that I am not to look at the value of what I am sacrificing, but I look at the value and worth of God Himself.
But now when I consider that I myself am to be a living sacrifice, this takes on a whole new depth. I don’t just offer up valuable possessions to God, such as livestock, or in modern day context maybe my money, time, or comforts. Yes, those are hard to sacrifice, but Paul tells me that my whole life is to be a perpetual sacrifice as long as I live!
The problem with
a living sacrifice
is that it can
crawl off the altar.
It is often easy(er) to walk out a life as a living sacrifice when things are going pretty well, but it is challenging and even impossible in my own strength to remain as a living sacrifice when things are not going well. When I envy or covet or pine for better days and am longing for peace and rest, I immediately want to take control back.
The Gospel gives me the faith and even power to let go of control and give myself wholly to God’s service. I can trust His wisdom in spending my life how He sees fit, knowing it will not be a waste. As I consider that Christ was the perfect and ultimate living sacrifice, and that He gave Himself up for me, it makes my desire to also be a living sacrifice not seem wasteful, but as a worthy act of worship.
Read Again Out Loud and Make it into a Prayer:
Romans 12.1-2
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Personalize and Read or Pray Aloud:
Psalm 141.1–5
1 O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2 Let my prayer be counted
as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands
as the evening sacrifice!
3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!
4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
and let me not eat of their delicacies!
5 Let a righteous man strike me—
it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
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Pray Aloud:
Father, be glorified in __________ ,
let Your Kingdom and will be done,
in and through __________
as it is in Heaven.
Give _________ daily bread,
and thank You for Your forgiveness.
Help me to forgive others,
as I know that You have forgiven me.
Keep __________ eyes fixed
on You and Your Word
so that _______ may not sin against You.
Thank You for Your sovereign love.
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