LIFE AS AN OFFERING

LIFE AS AN OFFERING!

Rom 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Col 3:1-3

3 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Rom 6:11-12

11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

           Dead men have no preferences! They can’t be tempted by any enticement. They are unresponsive to any suggestion. Paul asks us to consider ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to Jesus Christ. A living sacrifice is an unusual concept because a sacrifice is slain and his blood poured out as an offering. It is useful for nothing afterward.

           The verb “present” in Romans 12:1 means “to present once and for all.” Is there a finality to your submission to Christ or are you continually giving yourself to God and then taking it back again? Are you constantly frustrated because you are not really “dead” to self? You are not alone. Even the Apostle Paul struggled between the flesh and the spirit in Romans chapter seven. Many believers live this kind of life. There must be a presentation.

           Give Him your body. This may be a radical concept but think about it a minute. Why not give to God a body that is pure from sexual sin, free from strong drink and chemical dependency, well rested, and alert? Paul said it is our reasonable service. I can’t be useful to God if I am slothful, tired and foggy headed. I want to give him my body as a continual sacrifice.

           Give Him your mind. The word “transform” is the same word as “transfigured” in Matthew 17:2. It has entered the English language as “metamorphosis” and it describes a change that springs from within. The world wants to control your mind but we should allow our mind to be changed and brought into alignment with the thinking of God.

           Give Him your will. In Luke 22:42 Jesus surrendered His will to the Father. We must do the same. The will plans and pursues our desires and goals. If we are “dead” we have none. My will then can be controlled by His will. He can then make my plans and pursue proper goals and fulfill noble dreams.

Dear Lord, I know that being a sacrifice means death to my preferences. I know that I no longer own myself. I no longer control myself. Nevertheless, I come to you again as a living sacrifice. AMEN