What is a living sacrifice and why should God's children care?

I recently heard of an interesting quote (albeit third hand) from a collection of folks who were asked to help in the children's ministry at our church: "we're not going to serve [at church] because we only want to be fed." Whuh?

Those who have been called through Jesus to be the sons and daughters of the Living God have a unique privilege under the sovereignty of God. The privilege? To be living sacrifices for God. "Therefore, in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." - Romans 12:1. A privilege? Yes, a privilege.

Wait. It gets better.

When we offer ourselves humbly to God in this way, we get to be transformed. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing, and perfect will." - Romans 12:2.

This is huge. If we offer our bodies to God, then we refuse to conform any longer to the world's pattern (selfishness, greed, envy, jealousy, etc.). As we seek for God to renew our minds, we then subject ourselves to His transforming power. To get here, all we have to do is:
  • recognize who we are in Christ: sons and daughters of the Most High God, adopted into His forever family, and working in/on the family business - all by His grace and mercy because we don't deserve this privilege and gift.
  • trust Christ
  • obey His Word
  • rinse and repeat (i.e., recognize, trust, and obey -again)

This should lead us to want to serve God, shouldn't it? Whether in the church or outside the church or both, it doesn't matter. Yet, many of God's children, young and old, just want to be "fed."

What do you think?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Storehouse of Goodness

Image
How great is Your goodness which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in You. Psalm 31:19 When I think about the LORD and His goodness to me and those around me, I am so thankful. And yet, I'm not sure I've thought often about how He stores up goodness for me.  Have you? If we fear Him alone (and that's a BIG IF), then we can be assured of this promise: that He will store up goodness for us! The doctor gives bad news. God has goodness stored up for us. A spouse asks for a divorce. God has goodness stored up for us. Children make decisions that grieve us. God has goodness stored up for us. Fellow students or colleagues at our place of employment treat us with contempt or worse. God has goodness stored up for us. Dreams and goals we thought were important are no longer possible. God has goodness stored up for us. No matter what we encounter along the Way - whether calm or storm, peace o
Read more

Lessons of Trust

As promised, here are a few of the lessons learned after the challenges wrought in the experience on Thursday night's Living Last Supper: When we do something intentionally to God's glory, He receives the glory and protects us. Continue to put trust in God alone. As we trust God, if an outside organization desires access to the church, one must perform due diligence to verify who they are and what they intend to do. If there is no time to perform due diligence, then the offer remains unaccepted. The farther away an interviewer/videographer lives, the more due diligence is required. Interviewers or videographers rarely (if ever) pay you to do their work. If sufficient due diligence is performed, review ALL waivers before signing or making them available for signatures. If after due diligence, a group is allowed on site, increase security to ensure the group behaves as promised. And, the oldest lesson of all: people may not do what you expect them to do, but they will do what you
Read more

Who is your king?

  Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”    Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”    Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” John 18:36-38a In a culture that stresses having the “right” identity, you and I have many.    For example, I am a son of my parents, husband to my wife, father to my children, grandfather to their children, a neighbor, a friend, a pastor.    You get the idea.    All of these relationships mark us – identify us.    While we might like to consider all of these identities equally, there is a hierarchy whereby one identity overshadows or has priority over another.    As we raised our children, my k
Read more