How many of us reading this blog really know what being a "Living Sacrifice" for Christ truly is? How do we know for sure if we are being a Living Sacrifice? Is God pleased with our Sacrifice to Him? How can we know?
Psalms 51:17 says, " The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
To be a Living Sacrifice, you have to be able to humble yourself, and submit to God's leading.
Psalms 34:18 says, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."
In order to be a Living Sacrifice, you have to be born again into God's family. You must come to Him with a humble, submissive and repentant heart, and call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. We dwell with the Holy One once we have done this step in our lives.
Isaiah 57:15 says, "For thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
Isaiah 66:2 also says, "For all those things hath mine made and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and tremble at my word."
You see, the Lord will dwell and look to us that have the repentant heart and a submissive spirit. Being a Living Sacrifice is totally, humbly, and whole heartedly submitting and surrendering to the calling God has in and for our lives. God has a plan for us, the scriptures say, from the womb, He had a plan for you, and once we are saved, He wants to begin building a One-on-One relationship with Him, so He can teach you all things, bring all things to your heart and mind, and sow in you the seeds you will need to obey and follow His will and direction on your life.
Since God sent His son to die for us, that is the least we can do for Him. We owe Him our whole life for what He did to provide a way of escape from hell.
Romans 12:1 tells us, "I beseech ye therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a Living Sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
When we follow His plan, we enter into His blessing. God's blessing is where you want to be, always, because the alternative is not that wonderful of a place to be.
I spent a few years running away from God and from my calling, and believe me, there is no future in disobeying God's call. I got real tired of running from God, He is in much better shape than I am without Him. You see, when you live life the way you want to, without Him, without His blessings, you think things are wonderful, great, no one could do it better, IN THE BEGINNING, but, the scriptures tell us, that whatever we sow, that will we also reap (harvest). Even though I repented of my life of sin, running from God and doing things my own way, I still have to pay the consequences for my own sins of the past. He doesn't remember them anymore, but there is a time when you have to stand up and take responsibility for your disobedience and neglect of your call. God does not let the punishment slide, just because you seek Him and repent. That isn't the way the world works. You see, you pay for your past. You pay for your sins. Maybe not through the hands of God, but it could be through unwanted, added expenses on your family, indebtedness that you can't do anything about now, because it is consequences of past actions.
It may not be financial for you, David had an affair with a married woman, the seed from their relationship caused him to order her husband killed on the front line (Murder) to cover up sin. God took the child from them, not because He wanted to punish the child, but because He wanted David and Bathsheba to repent and see they should not be blessed for their sin.
It may be a relationship that needs to end because it has brought you down farther and farther than you ever planned to go, it keeps you walking a path further and further away from God. It may be incarceration for a past action you thought you got away with one day, but the scriptures say, "be sure your sins WILL find you out." There are so many more examples I can give you, but I think you already see and know what your struggling with in your own life.
Take the time to study the scriptures, know what God has for your life, speak to Him in prayer and meditation of His word, wait up on that still small voice that so longs to speak with you. Be that Living Sacrifice that God has planned for your life, that living testimony of His love and what He can do in your life when you come to Him and let Him have control. He will make it worth your while and take you places that only you dream about! The blessings He has for you, O What a Thrill and a Privilege to know and serve God. He loves you more than you can ever imagine, He wants you to know just how much and what He has waiting for you, will you take that step? Will you be a Living Sacrifice for God today?
