A sacrifice is the act of giving up something valuable to help someone. It can also be the act of offering to a deity something precious." The idea of being a living sacrifice means that as a community of Christians we should set aside our wants, and prioritize one another in God-honoring love. This is an act of worship to God continuously for the duration of your life. What is acceptable worship to God is that we present our bodies (plural) as a living sacrifice (singular). God is pleased with the offering of our unity and love.
We honor Him by being united as one group of people. This is the living sacrifice that God desires.
We must live in devotion to Him by loving and serving one another. We encourage, instruct, advise, and when necessary rebuke and correct on another out of loving concern for one another's souls and ultimately as an act of worship to God. Being a part of the one living sacrifice means giving my whole life to the people of God because I am giving my life together with theirs to God as one offering. I must know them intimately to know their needs, correct their sins, and to use my gifts to their benefit. We can be a living sacrifice wherever God has put us. We do not have to be a preacher or missionary or in some other form of recognized full-time service to God.
Rather, we should "bloom where we are planted." As our minds are transformed, we will no longer conform to this world, but we will begin to have attitudes and make choices in accordance with God's will. We will want to be and act in such a way as to please God. Becoming a living sacrifice will change our inner wants and desires so that we do not feel that we are giving up something precious, but that we are getting something precious. Being a living sacrifice is no sacrifice at all. It is what we desire. Here are three ways to put Romans 12:1 into action:
Be God’s voice Is God prompting you to share your faith with a friend? Maybe you need to remind someone how precious you think they are. Is there a hard truth you need to share with an individual? When we fail to communicate completely with others, we are doing ourselves and the other person a great disservice.
Give a little more away When ministry leaders
start talking about money, people get tense. We’ve all seen our share of
corrupt, money-loving televangelists. When Jesus talks about money, it’s never
about something that he wants from you, but what He wants for you. He wants you
to have the joy of not being mastered by your money. Instead you can recognize
that like Abraham, you’ve been blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). You’re
never more like Jesus than when you give.
Fight for the weak There’s someone in
your church who stands alone in the foyer wondering if he matters. There’s a
single mom in your neighborhood who struggles to put food on the table much
less getting her lawn cut the way it should be. There’s an elderly lady who
sits alone day after day longing for someone to talk to. There’s a young boy on
your son’s team who has no dad, and if he follows trend will end up in jail or
worse. What would happen if you took a step this week to fight for the weak,
dejected, old, or hurting?
“It would seem that God had merely asked me to
give Him my mind, my training, the ability that He has given me; to serve Him
unquestioningly; and to leave with Him the consequences....How wonderful God
is, and how foolish we are to argue with Him and not to trust Him wholly in
every situation as we seek to serve Him.” (Helen
Roseveare)[i]
[i] Sources used:
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“3 Ways to
Present Your Life a Living Sacrifice” by LifeWay
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