To Be a Living Sacrifice

In our weekly meetings, we are constantly reviewing Romans 12:1-2. These verses are the main theme of our study, and as we meditate on the passage, the Lord enlightens us with deeper meaning. The following is the J.B. Phillips translation of these verses:

"With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable to him. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-make you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed. Thus you will prove in practice that the will of God is good, acceptable to him and perfect."

In ancient Bible times, the priests would place the sacrificial lamb on the alter. He would kill the animal, and blood flowed freely as atonement for sins was made. You see, the Hebrew law stated that the blood "covered" the sins of God's people and made them clean once again. They were forgiven their sins. This ceremony had to be held often, because the people would sin more, which made them dirty again.

Then, at the appointed time, something marvelous happened. God sent His only Son to earth to live among us. The full intention was that, again at the right time, Jesus would die on the cross and shed His blood one time only for the sins of the people of the earth. The Son of God, pure and sinless, came to be a sacrifice for you and me. Because of Him, all of our sins -- past, present, and future -- are forgiven, and we are made clean before the Father. Before we claim this truth for our own lives, there is one thing we must do: we must receive the Lord as our Savior. We must realize our need and we must ask Him to come in to be the Master of our lives.

What we see today in Romans 12 is that now the Lord, through Paul, is imploring each of us to place ourselves on the alter; but, you see, it is so different from ancient times! Since we are a living sacrifice, we can jump right down from the alter, if we want to. It is as if Paul is begging us to stay because he knows, through Christ, that it is the very best place for us. When we give ourselves fully to the Lord, we are in the hands of the Almighty.

The choice, then, is ours. Will we be squeezed into the mold of this world? Or will we let God re-make us and change our minds so that we can view life from God's perspective?

God has a plan for our lives. He has always had a plan. It is never too late to turn our lives over to Him. There is no bondage in Christ; there is only freedom.

Love, Karen