A Living Sacrifice
Romans 12:1, 2 TPT
Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be His sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights His heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. 2 Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes.
Have you ever felt like the culture that you presently are in is trying to squeeze you into the mold of this present age? If you don’t agree, you are called some radical name that is not who you are at all. Calls for tolerance are screamed, yet there truly is not much tolerance for anyone who doesn’t think exactly as these critics do. In the New King James Translation of Romans 12:2, the word “conformed” is used. Verse 2 “And do not be conformed to this world…” That word “conformed” means to conform oneself to the outer fashion or outward appearance, accommodating oneself to a model or pattern. I Peter 1:14 describes those conforming themselves to worldly posts. Even apparent or superficial conformity to the present world system or any accommodation to its ways would be fatal to the Christian life. Should we who are living now be offering sacrifices to God? Yes, but not animal sacrifices, but offering ourselves as “living sacrifices” unto the Lord. This is offering every part of us to the Lord, our spirit, soul, and body. All of our abilities and talents should be laid at His feet. Literally, He is the one who gave them to us in the first place. This should be our act of worship where we become an ongoing everyday vessel of honor and use to the Lord for His calling on our lives and for His supernatural purposes. This place of full worship of ourselves is where we yield ourselves as a “living sacrifice holy and acceptable to the Lord.” We are fully responsive to His truth; active and aware of His great mercies every day as we perceive and awaken to His Presence and voice everyday, walking in His Spirit, being led daily by His Presence. We perceive His mercies and become sensitive to His voice and His lovingkindness. We live pretty much in a godless system which seems to be growing darker every day. Let us not live halfheartedly in our walk with Him, but be completely sold out, living sacrifices fully yield to the Lord for Him to live and work through our lives in every way. We are not to accept the pattern of this culture and age whose god is the Devil, (2 Cor. 4:4) Be transformed daily by the renewing of your mind and commit to the ways and ideals of God’s Kingdom. Prove and practice everyday life that God can live His will out through you for our lives to be acceptable and maturing daily.
What about you? Have you surrendered your life as a living sacrifice unto the Lord? Is your spirit, soul and body His daily or do you reserve part of you for you and what you think is the way for you to live in this day and age? Make a fresh commitment to Him today and surrender your all to Him. He in turn will draw closer to you and you to Him. Have a surrendered day today living in His Presence.
