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"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God." -Romans 12:1-2

Sacrifice is something most people never even consider, let alone complete. Let's consider what it is to be a living sacrifice.

At the time of this writing by Paul, sacrifices were usually killed and laid upon an altar to be burned. The problem with "living sacrifices" is that they tend to crawl off the altar when it gets a little hot. We start with good intentions of making a sacrifice for our teammates, our family, or career, but when it gets uncomfortable we often snatch the sacrifice from the altar and lose the reward that comes from faithfulness.

The good news is that God's grace enables us to offer our very bodies in daily service to Him. He calls it holy, pleasing service that is a spiritual act of worship. We must let God's grace move us to sacrifice whatever it takes to pursue a life "holy and pleasing" to Him.

1. What sort of sacrifices have you made for your athletic career?
2. What have you given up to pursue a life of athletics?
3. Has it been worth it? Why?
4. How is your daily life as a competitor true worship of Christ Jesus?

Heavenly Father, I ask for Your forgiveness for the times I have failed to place myself and remain on the altar. I want a lifestyle that is pleasing to You and brings glory to Your name. Show me how to offer my body as a living sacrifice today-a sacrifice that is "holy and pleasing" to You. Renew my mind today so that I may discern what is good. Amen.

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"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."

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A Bible Devotion on being a Living Sacrifice

Being a living sacrifice is not a popular topic in our day and time. It's associated with giving up something that you value.

Webster's defines sacrifice as "to give up for the sake of something else."

In fact, that is the essence of sacrifice - it's done for the sake of something else or rather someone else.

Paul declares in Romans 12:1, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship."

"In view of God's mercy": God's own sacrifice (gave up for our sake) of His Son

"living sacrifices": not dead like in the Old Testament, but living

What is it in our daily living that we can "give up for the sake of others?"

Use the children's picture book Little Rose of Sharon to creatively depict the true meaning of being a living sacrifice.

Summary: A little rose in the Valley of Sharon is so pleased to show off her beautiful petals to her Creator as He strolls by her in the early morning sunshine. His smile fills her with a sense of wonder.

Later that evening a storm rolls in, and the little rose struggles to hold on to her beautiful petals. As the storm ceases, the little rose is relieved to find she has not lost a single petal.

However, she notices a small white form in the grass beneath her and realizes it's a dove's egg that has fallen from its nest.

As the cool evening breeze begins to blow, the little rose realizes the baby dove in the egg will not be able to survive the nightime chill.

It is then, she does what she knows she must. She drops her petals one by one until the egg is covered in a rose-petal blanket.

The morning brings great joy as a tiny chirp is heard beneath the petals and the Creator bestows honor upon the rose - not for her beautiful petals, but for the beauty of her sacrifice.

What things in our lives could we risk sacrificing for God?

How about: our plans, our dreams, our time, our savings account, our reputation,...the list could go on and on.

In view of His mercy though, how can we not lay it all down for His purpose?

Esther DVD
By Emi Cmg Distribution

Following the conquest of Babylon, the King of Persia gives a banquet for his people at which he requests the presence of his wife, Vashti. As she refuses the King's demand, Ahasuerus disowns Vashti and goes in search of her replacement. In his harem, he meets the young girl Esther who immediately captivates him with her charm and beauty. Unaware of her Jewish heritage, King Ahasuerus falls in love with Esther. Esther then reveals to Ahasuerus that she is Jewish and asks him to show her people mercy, because of a planned genocide of the Jews by the King's right-hand man, Haman. In doing so, she saves the lives of many innocent people and paves the way for their return to Jerusalem. 91 minutes.

Esther in the Old Testament also knew the meaning of being a "living sacrifice."

Esther's uncle, Mordecai, knew she was the only hope for the Jewish people to survive against Haman's plan to have them all executed. It would mean she would have to seek an audience with the king without being invited.

This could have certainly meant death for her. In Esther 4:14, Mordecai says to Esther,"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

"For such a time as this..."

Have you ever considered God has placed you here, in these circumstances, to be used in a marvelous way for Him?

Wayne Watson released a song with this title in 1998. The chorus is as follows:
For such a time as this
I was placed upon the earth

To hear the voice of God

And do His will

Whatever it is

For such a time as this

For now and all the days He gives

I am here, I am here

And I am His

For such a time as this

To hear the voice of God and do His will whatever it is...that's being a living sacrifice!

The Little Rose of Sharon sacrificed what she thought was her greatest possession; when in reality, it was through the action of sacrificing that she learned what true beauty looks like.

It looks like L-O-V-E.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15a says, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;"

Like the Little Rose of Sharon, we too can be a "fragrance of Christ" to the world around us as we are "living sacrifices" for Him.

Other devotions like "A Living Sacrifice"

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Being a living sacrifice is not a popular topic in our day and time. It's associated with giving up something that you value. Webster's defines sacrifice as "to give up for the sake of something else." In fact, that is the essence of sacrifice - it's done for the sake of something else or rather someone else.

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The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God! (Psalm 50:23 ESV)

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God! (Psalm 50:23 ESV)

We may look at how much, or how little, we give to God and guess as to how happy He will be with the sacrifices we've made. We might look at others around us and measure our sacrifices against how much, or how little, we believe they've sacrificed. What discouragement can follow this approach! Our sacrifice to the Lord should be made with humility and thankgiving. What matters is not how much was given, or the pain of sacrifice, but rather the heart and attitude of the person involved.

God looks into the heart of the person as they offer their sacrifice. Look at the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). The person who offers their sacrifice with thanksgiving knows that it isn't their time or money that they are offering; it is understood that all they have is a gift from God, and they glorify and thank Him with their sacrifice. Matthew Henry says that we should offer sacrifices of "thanks-living", believing that our entire life should be lived with thanksgiving to God. Be encouraged today that what you give, little or big, is enough to please God; it is the spirit of the giver that makes all the difference.
Be sure to daily offer your sacrifice with thanks.

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Psalm 50:23 - The Thanks-Living Sacrifice | Daily Devotionals

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The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God! (Psalm 50:23 ESV) The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!

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Reflections at Easter
[audio:http://knowing-jesus.com/ebethdd/EA01%20Living%20Sacrifice.mp3|titles=Living Sacrifice]

Meaning of Calvary

To meditate on all that that Calvary meant, is likely an eternal cause for wonder. To reflect on what it means to us, is a cause for ongoing awestruck wonderment.. what it means to you and what it means to me. Can we begin to imagine what this pivotal, universal event meant to His disciples? What it signified to Christ Himself, the perfect Man, our eternal substitute? Can we dare to muse - what this astonishing predestined event meant to the Father? To do so demands we cover our face with a mantle, in fear and trembling. It requires that we reverently remove our shoes from off our feet, for to do so means that we are standing on the holiest of holy ground. To do so causes us to touch the deepest mysteries of the omniscient Godhead.

Demands of a Holy God

It is a cause of utter bewilderment.. to truly reflect on what Calvary truly means. Every jot and title of the Law was fulfilled to appease the demands of a holy God. He died as the Passover Lamb.. the perfect and only mediator betwixt us and God. He also died as the Sin Offering, taking 6000 years of brutal punishment upon Himself.

Obedience of a Holy Son

He drained the bitter dregs of God's cup of bitter wrath - for you and for me, so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him. God's righteousness was reflected in the perfection of His flawless Law, yet God Himself alone was the only One Who was able to fulfil its requirements. In total, pure obedience, Christ completed every last tiny requirement of the Law. God's righteous demands of the Law were perfectly met and fulfilled in minute detail.

Sacrifice of Praise

But what just staggers me, is that His offering far surpasses the Law's just demands. He lived His life as a sacrifice of praise.. a sweet smelling savor. ( a burnt offering) The Lord Jesus Christ offered up His life - as a sacrifice of praise to the Father. He lived His life as a Burnt Offering. A burnt offering is just another word for a voluntary, non-compulsory sacrifice.

Righteous Requirement

As Passover Lamb and Sin Offering, Christ was led as a Lamb to the slaughter to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law.. and He did it for you and me - a compulsory offering required by a righteous God... and He cried; if it be possible unto thee; take away this cup from Me. Mark 14:36

Burnt Offering

But as Burnt Offering, He gave His life as a pure act of voluntary worship.. a life given unreservedly to God.. a sacrifice becoming a sweet savor to the Lord - to glorify the Father which is in heaven. For thirty-three years Christ yielded up His sinless life daily. His life was a daily Sacrifice of Praise to His God. For thirty-three years Christ's life was lived as a living sacrifice - a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to His Father. For thirty-three years Christ exemplified the living Burnt Offering. Every day He was a sweet smelling savor to His God and Father... to my Father, and your Father....my God, and your God. John 20:17

His Voluntary Sacrifice

Then on the cross, Christ yielded up His sinless life as a voluntary offering of Himself to God.. a voluntary sacrifice of Himself to God - on our behalf, and purely for love of God. A willing offering.. demonstrating His supreme devotion to the Father.. knowing that God's love for man was such that He alone could display His Love. And so stepping down of His own free will - He did all that Father desired. He died as a sweet savor to the Father... FOR us and AS us.

Our Voluntary Sacrifice

And this is what He asks of us... Not just that we believe and are saved, but that we love Him all our heart and soul and mind and strength - and that we live our Christian life as a willing Sacrifice of Praise. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice - a voluntary offering - a 'burnt' offering a sweet savor to the Father... holy, acceptable to God.

Listen to the Audio:

[audio:http://knowing-jesus.com/ebethdd/EA01%20Living%20Sacrifice.mp3|titles=Living Sacrifice]

Download the audio:

Living Sacrifice

Full Study Index for 'Easter Reflections'

EASTER REFLECTION

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To meditate on all that that Calvary meant - is likely an eternal cause for wonder, To reflect on what it means to us - is a cause for ongoing awestruck wonderment, - what it means to you.. and what it means to me..

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"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (v. 1)

- Romans 12:1-2

Some of the most important words in Scripture are those that can be most frequently overlooked. Consider the term therefore, a word that can be easily passed by without thinking of the transition that it signals. In today's passage the word therefore (12:1) alerts us to the start of a new section in Paul's epistle to the Romans, a section that is the consequence of all he has said previously. After laying out many of the essential doctrines of Christianity in chapters 1-11, the apostle in chapter 12 begins to unfold the way we must live in light of these truths. The reality of divine grace, justification, the blessing of the Holy Spirit, and God's plan to save Jew and Gentile alike cannot be embraced without producing a new way of life in the believer. Those who do not live as Paul prescribes in Romans 12-16 have never truly accepted his teaching in chapters 1-11.

Paul sums up the entirety of the Christian life in 12:1 in his admonition that we present our "bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God." This is our "spiritual worship," and understanding Paul's point requires us to consider briefly one of the purposes of the old covenant sacrificial system. Our Creator, of course, did not need the animals and grains offered up to Him before the coming of Christ. What He was most concerned with was the attitude of the worshiper and the heart of the person offering the sacrifice. Cain and Abel both gave offerings to God, but only Abel's was received because only he desired to honor the Lord and devote everything that he had to Him (Gen. 4:1-5; Heb. 11:4).

Full devotion of ourselves to God is the logical response to all that He has done for us, for nothing less than our time, talents, desires, and possessions could even begin to show our appreciation for His willingness to purchase us from the wrath we deserve for sinning against Him (1 Thess. 1:9-10). Such devotion means that we think God's thoughts after Him, refusing to be conformed to the patterns of this fallen world, for if we love what the world loves, we cannot love what our Father loves. And the chief way we learn to deny the world's ways and embrace the Lord's will is through the renewal of our minds, which occurs as we study and meditate upon God's Word (Rom. 12:2; Heb. 4:12).

Coram Deo

Most of us are accustomed to the reading of sacred Scripture, but how many of us take the time to meditate on it, to take a passage and spend some time mulling it over, considering what it teaches and how it applies to our life? Take some time today to meditate on one of the passages suggested today for further study. Ask the Lord to show you how you may live in line with what it teaches and to use it to transform your mind that you may conform to His will.

Passages for Further Study

Psalm 77:11-15
Ephesians 4:17-24

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"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (v. 1) - Romans 12:1-2 Some of the most important words in Scripture are those that can be most frequently overlooked.