A LIVING SACRIFICE

TEXT: Romans 12:1-10

Almost everyone knows what a sacrifice means. Even the Scripture talks about it in the Old and New Testament.

“Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.”Genesis 31:54

“And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.”Genesis 46:1

What is a sacrifice? A sacrifice is something offered as a gift or to appease the living God,as was the practice in the Old Testament in the Bible or to an idol in order to get something in return. 

We read in the Scripture how Israel (Jacob) offered a sacrifice unto the God of Isaac, his father for protection over him and his family. And God accepted his sacrifice and talked to him in the hours of night. 

Our Lord Jesus was also offered as a sacrifice for the remission of the sins of man on the Cross of Calvary. 

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”Romans 5:8

Sin created a very wide gap between God and man, through the sin of Adam and Eve. But Jesus laid down His life as a sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary for man to be free from sin, to become sons and daughters of God. 

If Christ could surrender His life as a sacrifice for the sin of man, it is therefore required of every believer to present himself asa living sacrifice unto God. 

What is a living sacrifice? It simply means something that has life and power to grow for God.  As we have a living sacrifice, so also do we have a dead sacrifice in the house of God.

A living sacrifice is referring to the category of people that have turned their back against the world and are determined to follow God with all their totality. Even Apostle Paul told the believers in Rome that, if they wanted their services to God to be acceptable, they needed to present themselves as a living sacrifice. What this implies is that our God is a God of the living and not the dead. 

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”Romans 12:1-2

There are a lot of unbelieving believers in the church today. These ones are the dead sacrifice unto God and belong to the category of unproductive believers in the house of God. They only go to church to register their physical bodies, but their names are not in God’s register. Are you a living or dead sacrifice to God?Don’t forget that, to be a living sacrifice unto God, attracts divine presence and other blessings of God.

HOW CAN I BECOME A LIVING SACRIFICE TO GOD?

There are steps you need to take before you can be a living sacrifice to God:

1.     Be a genuine child of God: It is not all that claim to be born again that are all genuine children of God. Some are just confessing Jesus with their mouth and not accepting Him with their heart. Such are not genuine children of God. But those that have surrendered their lives and everything about them to God are the genuine believers. 

“   But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” John 1:12

2.     Live a holy life: -It’s expected of a living sacrifice to be holy in every area of his life. “But as He which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” 1 Peter 1:15. God that called you and me is ever holy and before we can please Him we must possess the spirit of holiness. 

3.     Be faithful to God:A true living sacrifice of God must be faithful and obedient to the Word of God, and turn his back against the worldly things that can make him to sin against God. It’s your being a living sacrifice that can qualify you before the living God.

My friend, check your spiritual life to know whether you are still a living sacrifice to God or not.

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

If your answer is ‘No’, you can still amend your ways by accepting Jesus Christ into your life now. 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,  that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”John 3:16

The love of God towards man is ever fresh. Accept Jesus into your life before it is too late. 

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”Hebrews 9:27 

As long as you are still alive, you have every opportunity to receive Jesus into your life. God loves you and don’t allow the grace to give your life to Christ to elude you. I pray that God will accept you and write your name in the book of life in Jesus’ name.

Be a living and not a dead sacrifice unto God. God loves you.

Remain Blessed!

Pst. T.J.Adedeji