Today’s message at church was about being a living sacrifice, and it has led me to think about that subject and to consider the effects or the role of myself as a living sacrifice. The point was brought out that the only means by which we can glorify God is with our bodies, be it by speech or action, and that we need to be faithful in using these avenues for God’s honor and glory.
When I think about being a living sacrifice, I am reminded of the words to a song, “Sometimes I think it’d be easier to die for You than to live for You, but You will be faithful Lord, and You will be true. So for now I’ll hide myself in You.” Laying down your physical life would be difficult, but to lay down our lives (our emotions, desires and dreams) and remain alive in the body, that is the ultimate test of strength and determination. To come to the place of having no will of our own, but to be led and directed by the knowledge of God’s will, that is to be our goal in this life. And of course we cannot achieve it in our strength, but by yielding to and “depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me.”
What are some characteristics of a sacrifice? Thinking of the animals used in the Old Testament for sacrifices, were they usually happy about being sacrificed? Did they get to continue on with their lives in ease and pleasure? Was it a pleasant experience being sacrificed? No, it was a very painful experience, and when it was finished there was nothing left of the will of the sacrifice, nothing in it to fight against the one it was being sacrificed for. What about Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice- He is the picture of what we are striving to be. Was His experience as a sacrifice pleasant? Was it comfortable? Was it something we can look at and desire to experience in our flesh? No. His experience was a very painful one, but God found it to be very pleasing, and His name has been honored and glorified from that day to this because of it. Is my life causing others to honor God?
Besides Paul beseeching the believers to offer themselves as a living sacrifice, what did our Lord himself have to say on the matter?
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple . 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple . 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple .”
I love the book The Radical Cross by A.W. Tozer. He brings out some very thought provoking points about the role of the cross and how it was viewed by the Romans and those living in the time of Christ versus the thing of beauty we have made it today. One statement he makes about the cross is that it always wins all of its battles, silences every argument, and completely brings its victim to the end of themselves. We often view the cross today simply as an emotional icon that speaks of beauty and salvation, but fail to recognize the personal cost and role of it in our lives. Paul so beautifully puts things in these words,
“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”
Do I want to suffer with Christ? If I honestly consider what the cost of being a disciple could be in my life, the dreams I could have to see sacrificed, the pain I must go through, do I shy away from the cross? Is it easier for me to think of cross in terms of salvation only, being grateful for the price Christ paid, yet not being willing to offer myself up in return? Certainly it seems easier to avoid the cross, to try to live our lives as peaceably and comfortably as possible, yet Jesus had this to say,
“And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."
It might seem like the easy way out to avoid difficulty on this earth, but Jesus knew the truth of the matter. It may be costly to choose willingly to take up the cross, but the price of refusing to embrace it is much higher. I know that when God sees His children willingly choosing to follow Him even when it is painful, it honors Him greatly, and He is so full of love for them and shows so much grace in such situations. Yet the child who is constantly rebelling against the Father’s will has to come under discipline, and that is a much more painful experience.
Am I willing to lay myself on the altar, that all of my hopes and dreams, the desires of my heart, my security, my identity, my reputation, my future, everything that I am would be available to Christ to use as it pleases Him, whether He receive the most honor and glory by blessing these things or taking them away? This is my desire and prayer, that I would hold nothing back.
Bind me to the altar, Lord. May I not run from it cost. May I live my life as a living sacrifice, seeking to honor You with everything that is in me. You have done so much for me- May I love You as You have loved me, with a pure and undivided heart. May my greatest pleasure be found in blessing You.
Comments (1)
Beautifully Written Kristen! I appreciate you!!!!