Living Sacrifice
By Kate Belford
Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1
As I sat down to write I thought of what it means to “lay it down”. I feel have been living through this piece that I’m writing. What does the Lord want me to lay down to become more aligned with Him? We are all here on earth with a purpose, to glorify God. So why does God want us to lay certain things down? Whatever it is; it’s usually keeping us from fully knowing and following Him with a pure heart. Our circumstances, feelings, and our own fleshly desires create a divided heart and distractions from our relationship with Jesus. That is why Paul, the writer of Romans, urges us to be a living sacrifice because he too knows the way we are as carnal beings.
As a sacrifice, we think of the ultimate sacrifice, when Christ laid himself down as the sacrificial lamb for the atonement of our sins. If you have ever watched, The Passion of the Christ, it is only a mere glimpse of the agony and pain that Jesus endured on that day. He literally took on the sin of the world, but we can live in victory over sin and death because of His resurrection!“For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). His act of great love is a gift to us because He abolished the old way of sacrificing and brought life instead of death! In Christ we have life everlasting and now we are called to be His disciples. He gives us guidance in this through His Word.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-26). What are we living for? Our jobs, money, children, success, etc.? What comes first in our hearts? Jesus is the treasure that we find when we “lose” our life. He is asking us to crucify our flesh; to surrender our lives and follow Him. To be a living sacrifice, is to be a disciple because when we lay down our will and yield to His, is when we start to live out our purpose. The true abundant life that He gave us, walking in the Spirit and living out His truth.
Galatians 5:16 tells us “Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh”. We must walk in the Spirit, keeping step and moving forward. I invite you to get into the Word of God, pray and fellowship with other believers, build one another up and continue to fan the flames of the Holy Spirit. We must be led by Him instead of our fleshly, sinful nature. It’s a daily process and daily submission; the Lord is with us every step of the way.
“So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) and let all that we surrender be an act of worship. Let us throw our hands up and say, “My life is Yours, God”, because after all we were created to worship and sing praises of His great name (Isaiah 43:21). We are created with purpose, intention and quite honestly made for more than how we are living.
There are so many lost and hungry, souls searching for something more, and we as children of light have the answer! It’s Jesus, it always was and will always be Jesus! I believe now is the time more than ever to share His redemption, love, and truth. We have a choice to follow Jesus and be a part of what He’s doing or stay in our comfort zone. “You my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13)
Have we been obedient to the Lord? Glorifying Him in everything? Not only with our lips but our lives? These are sobering questions. I believe when we are walking in the Spirit it is simple but when we wrestle with our flesh and logic, being a living sacrifice becomes more difficult. You are enough because Jesus is enough! Today I invite you into becoming a living sacrifice and to step into your unique purpose for God’s Kingdom. Are you ready?
Father God, I thank You for the gift of your Son Jesus, who bore my sins so that I may have an abundant and everlasting life. I also thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit that dwells within those who call Jesus, Lord. You are rich in mercy and gracious to me through Your redemptive plans. I ask that You would reveal to me what I need to lay down in order to serve You with a pure heart. I want to glorify You with my life—my lips, my hands, my feet, my everything and to allow Your will to be done here on earth. I am a willing vessel. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Lift up your voice and praise to your Holy God!
Meditate on Romans 12:1. What does be a living sacrifice mean to you?
I encourage you to take the time in prayer to ask the Lord to search your heart and humbly surrender. What is Jesus calling you to lay down for His glory? Is this an area of your life you find difficult to give over to the Lord? If so, what is holding you back? I invite you in this moment to let go and trust in the will of the Father.