SET APART TO BE LIVING SACRIFICES

Reading: Romans 12:1-2

“I urge you…to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1).”  Years ago, I remember a sermon in which the preacher pointed out, “The only problem with a ‘Living’ Sacrifice is, it can climb down off the altar!” 

I picture a story written centuries earlier than the time of the Romans.  God was testing Abraham by directing him to take his only son, Isaac, to Mt Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering [see Genesis 22: 1-14]. In obedience, Abraham began the journey, taking with him Isaac, a few other young men, and all the supplies necessary for a sacrifice. Once on the mountain, he built an altar and placed his son upon it.

Now, from Isaac’s perspective, I really wouldn’t want to remain in that position! I’d most likely be yelling my head off, trying to free myself from the rope that held me to the wood. No such action by Isaac is recorded.  Why didn’t he react? It’s a curious thing I have pondered more than once. Today, I sense some insight. I think Isaac trusted his father to do the right thing, just as Abraham trusted his heavenly Father.

Is it not so with us, figuratively speaking? Could Paul also been thinking of Isaac as a living sacrifice when he wrote these words to Christians in Rome? We have been set apart by God to live sacrificial lives. As living sacrifices, we chose to stay on the altar, just as Isaac did, trusting our Father to use us up for His good purposes. This means we are called to live differently from others. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person, with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you (Romans 12:2, TLB).”

Father, I admit that far too many times I want to (and actually do) crawl off the altar and do my own thing. I forget whose I am and that You have set me apart for so much more than I am willing to settle for. Help me to rest on Your altar, willing to be used by You in the lives of others, which very often requires true sacrifice. Amen.

Complete Commitment

John 15:18-25

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015%3A18-25&version=NIV;ESV

  

On January 8, 1956, Jim Elliot and four other missionaries, were killed by members of the Auca Indians in Ecuador. They had landed their plane to make friendly contact with the tribe.

 

On April 20, 1999, Rachel Scott was the first student to be shot and killed in the Columbine High School massacre. One of the shooters asked her if she still believed in God. When Rachel answered him that she did, he killed her.

 

Although very different circumstances, these six people died because of their faith in Christ. There have been many other Christian martyrs during the past two thousand years. In fact, according to an April 14, 2017 Fox News report, as many as 90,000 Christians each year are martyred.

 

Jesus spoke the following words to his disciples as he prepared them for what was to come. He seems to be saying, get ready to be martyred for following me.

 

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.     ESV

 

Jesus spoke these words to his disciples at a specific moment in time and in history. What do they mean to us today? Should we expect to be martyred? And if we’re not, does that mean we’re not following Christ? I don’t believe so.

 

For sure, Rachel Scott did not anticipate that on that day she would lose her life because she said that she believed in God. She was being obedient to Christ. That is what we are called to do regardless of whether it means going to the jungles of Ecuador, the hallways of your high school or the office at your job.

 

The good news is that regardless of where God is calling you to serve Him, He promises that you will not be alone; that you will not struggle alone. In John 14, Jesus made this promise to his followers.

 

¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth.     NIV

 

His promise is still true today.

 

 

 

There is No “I” in TEAM

Romans 12:1-2, 9-21

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012%3A1-2%2C%20Romans%2012%3A9-21&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

“There is no “I” in TEAM”. It’s a nice platitude, but is it practical; is it realistic?

 

I love college football and am a huge fan of my alma mater, Michigan State. This year they have three running backs, and all three are very talented. In fact, they have all started in years past and have had great games.

 

Gerald Holmes is a senior, but he isn’t the feature back. Yet he stands out to me because he’s willing to do the dirty work that doesn’t gain headlines. He is probably the best blocker of the three. And, when he’s on the bench, and there’s a big play by one of the other backs, he’s right there cheering them on. He believes, “There is no “I” in TEAM.

 

Although he didn’t use this saying, Paul urged the Romans to live by it.

 

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.       NIV

 

Any coach could quote these verses to motivate their team to play as a team and not a bunch of individuals. Any boss could encourage their employees with the same message to work as a team. Any parent could remind their children that being a family means sharing. Any pastor could preach about using your gifts for the good of the body of Christ.

 

However, human nature trends in the opposite direction. If left to their own devices, players competing for playing time do what’s best for them, not for the team. Employees bicker and backbite instead of encourage. Children argue and fight. Churches gossip and divide.

 

But God has called us to work together as a team in all of our circumstances. God has called us to love with sincerity for the good of the team; to use the gifts He has given us, for the good of the team; to sacrifice what might benefit us most, for the good of the

team.

 

It is true that there is no “I” in TEAM. However, there is a “U” in the body of Christ when “you” offer yourself as a living sacrifice.

 

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.        NIV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1-8

Our school district nurse uses the following as her e-mail signature line. “I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”       Maya Angelou

The way we worship is contained in the way we live our lives. How we respond to various situations, and the approach we take with those we encounter speaks to the world of whom we serve.

 “We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously, if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8

Using our undeserved, God given gifts is worship in itself. Serving the children of the Lord through our strengths is honoring HIM.

First Peter 4:10 also reminds us;  “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

We all have our own personality and style, but as we grow as Christians we become more aware of the importance of living our lives in the way Christ did, as we are a reflection of Him.

As we share our talents and gifts with this world, may we be gentle in the way we display the love of our God, thoughtful in the way we reflect His grace, and sensitive in the way we reveal His mercy.

Read/Listen to Romans12:1-8