A Living Sacrifice

I've read through the Bible

several times

ok . . . ALL of the bible __?__ many times
MOST of the bible the other times

I confess

I tend to skip or skim

Leviticus . . . and Numbers

Leviticus . . .

the book of the law

this offering

for this sin

the burnt offering

the grain offering

the peace offering

the sin offering

the trespass offering

offerings of blood 

offerings consumed by fire

My response to Leviticus . . .

THANK YOU JESUS!!!

I no longer need to check the list

for the appropriate offering

for my sin.

Jesus is my final sin offering!

But . . . I just read again 

for the umpteenth time

Romans 12:1 . . .

“And so, dear brothers and sisters,

I plead with you to give your bodies

to God because of all he has done for you.

Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—

the kind he will find acceptable.

This is truly the way to worship him."

(New Living Translation)

Hmmm . . . let me check

a different translation of the bible . . .

“So here’s what I want you to do,

God helping you:

Take your everyday, ordinary life—

your sleeping,

eating,

going-to-work,

and walking-around life—

and place it before God as an offering.”

(Message Bible)

Every part of my ordinary life . . .

an offering to you, Lord?

My eating?

(surely chips and chocolate not included)

my thoughts

emotions

words

wants

desires

my driving?

It would be easier

less painful for my flesh

if I could just offer up

one of the Levitical offerings!

EVERY PART

of my everyday . . . ordinary . . . walking-around life

on the altar as an offering

to you, Lord

terminating my “rights”

choosing your way

not the world’s way . . .

MY choice

EVERY PART

of my everyday . . . ordinary . . . walking-around life

being transformed by your Word

becoming a living sacrifice

a daily expression of worship . . .

MY choice

All my “sacrifices”

to be a living sacrifice

happen

moment by moment

on my knees

at the foot of the cross

covered with the blood of Jesu

THANK YOU JESUS!

“Embracing what God does for you

is the best thing you can do for him.

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture

that you fit into it without even thinking.

Instead, fix your attention on God.

You’ll be changed from the inside out.

Readily recognize what he wants from you,

and quickly respond to it.

Unlike the culture around you,

always dragging you down

to its level of immaturity,

God brings the best out of you,

develops well-formed maturity in you.” 

Romans 12:1-2

Message Bible