A Living Sacrifice
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
In Romans 12:1, the apostle Paul passionately pleads with the believers in Rome to offer their bodies to God as living and holy sacrifices. It is a plea grounded in gratitude and reverence for all that God has done for them. Paul recognizes that true worship extends beyond external rituals and religious practices; it requires the surrender of our entire being.
By presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to God, we acknowledge His sovereignty and respond to His unmerited grace and mercy. It is a transformative act that reflects our understanding of the magnitude of His love and sacrifice for us. Just as Christ offered His own body as a sacrifice on the cross, we are called to likewise offer our bodies in service to God.
We sing a few songs, pray, and listen to an inspirational message. We drop our money into the offering plate or text it in. For many of us that is the extent of our sacrifice each week. Not quite the widow's mite or Abraham's Isaac. Perhaps it is time to dig a little deeper. You are a vessel of God's Holy Spirit. What gifts has He given you along with the talents and skills you were blessed with? The benches are warm enough. There is a harvest out there and too few laborers! We are not all called to preach, but we are called to serve and be beacons of light, not just in the church, in whatever place we are in. Place your gifts, talents, and skills on the altar, and let the Holy Spirit use you to transform the portion of the field you are in.
