A Living Sacrifice

“It is our duty and our privilege to exhaust our lives for Jesus. We are not to be living specimens of men in fine preservation, but living sacrifices, whose lot is to be consumed” ~ Charles Spurgeon 

Sacrifice. A word not very popular, not many want to hear this word, not many want to sacrifice anything. We like having possession. We like to be in control. We like to have things our way, in our order, in our timing! Sacrifice is defined as an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. It would not be a sacrifice if it was something that was not of value to me. It is a sacrifice when it is something that I desperately want to keep, hold on to, cherish, control and not want to give up!

“Sacrifice is the surrender of that which you value in favor of which you don’t” ― Ayn Rand

 Another definition of sacrifice: an act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession as an offering to God or to a divine or supernatural force. The word “slaughtering” is interesting to me. I can remember the very day I surrendered my life to the Lord, how my knees were buckling, my hands were shaking, the water streaming from my face…crying out with the ugliest face imaginable…LORD I SURRENDER my heart to you!!! That day I slaughtered the very thoughts that God was not real! That day my hopelessness was slaughtered! That day Jesus met me! That day I surrendered my heart to the Lord from years of building walls of anger and bitterness around my heart, those walls were torn down! I sacrificed my heart to Jesus! 

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

I had to give it up! I had to give Jesus access into my heart. I was desperately seeking for pain relief. I was in a dark depressive state of mind. I was in trap of believing that no one loved me, and no one cared. Until Jesus came into my heart and mind! Jesus loved me, died for me, forgave me, didn’t hold my mistakes against me and most incredibly healed me and set me free! Free from depression, free from darkness, free from shame!

I wanted to keep the hurt from being exposed. But God was waiting for me to GIVE my heart over to him so that he can come and live inside of me! Thank you, Lord, for your grace, mercy and love that you sacrificed your one and only son to die for me on the cross, that I may be forgiven for my sins and one day live eternal everlasting life with the one true king JESUS! Take my heart! This was just the beginning of living as a sacrifice! 

I give myself a way to you Lord so that you can use me! God, I want to please you! My life is in your hands! Lord, I die to myself, crucifying my flesh, killing my desires to self-please, to people please, to live my own will! Lord, I give myself to you…My life is not my own! What do you mean my life is not my own? What do you mean I belong to you? What do you mean surrender everything!!! Can I not be in control of my life? Thoughts, beliefs and words of what people may say can hinder your Christian walk as a living sacrifice. You know that old saying I use to see everywhere…YOLO…You only live once! This is just one example of how sneaky Satan is with his words and social influence. At one point I can recall YOLO even being a clothesline, giving people a license to live how they want according to what makes them feel good! This is the total opposite of living as a sacrifice to the Lord. This is a dangerous mindset that can trap you and quickly spiral out of control. Let’s go here…YOLO. Let’s do this…YOLO. Let’s try this…YOLO. Next thing you know you find yourself doing things that you in your right mind would never do! Hmmm… think about it. Have you said YOLO before and gave yourself permission to do something you know was not righteous and pleasing to God! I know I have! I know I was in a spiral of sin leading me straight to the pit of death! Until every part of my life seemed hurt and broken!

“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So, use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

Romans 6:12-13

I die to my selfish desires! I die to feeding my flesh! I die to what this world has to offer, and I choose righteousness! I want your will in my life! Use me as your vessel, use me as your hands and feet in this world to touch others with the grace, love and mercy you extended to me. Use me in the darkest valley’s, on the highest mountain, across the world or across the street, use me for your glory! I can never repay or match what Jesus has done on the cross! He is the one true king who deserves our lives to glorify the Kingdom of Heaven!

“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Ephesians 5:2

You can talk the talk, but Jesus is looking for those to walk the walk! A living sacrifice! To worship him, to obey him, to live holy, righteous lives so that you may glorify your father in heaven! Slaughter those selfish desires! Paul was addressing the believers in Rome. Under the Old Testament covenant, animals were offered as a sacrifice to God. But when Jesus was born, the Lamb of God, he became the ultimate sacrifice on the cross which took place of the animal sacrifices of the old covenant.

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11-12

Now as believers, due to our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we must offer ourselves, our lives as a sacrifice to our heavenly father’s will for our lives. We must live Kingdom minded! We must be about our father’s business! We chose to enter the realm of the heavenlies when we chose to pick our cross and become followers of Jesus! Yes, there are times where the cross feels heavy and exhausting, but we must keep pushing! Jesus did not give up on us when he carried his cross all the way to his death site. We must not give up on him!

“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.” Romans 12:1 

Prayer:

God, I thank you for your grace and mercy! God, I thank you for your son, Jesus, who died a blameless death on the cross, shedding of his innocent blood for our sins! God, I thank you that by his blood I am forgiven. God, I thank you that by the blood of Jesus I am healed! God, I thank you that Jesus died and rose again on that 3rd day! God thank you for your Holy Spirit that lives inside of me. God, I thank you that your word says you will never leave me nor forsake me, and your Spirit sets me free! God, I thank you that by your Spirit, knowledge and wisdom I can live a life that is holy and pleasing glorifying the most high God! God, I thank you for saving a wretch like me! God, I thank you that I can now live as a living sacrifice to your will, for your kingdom and your glory in Jesus' name Amen!

Live for him!