OFFER YOUR BODIES AS A LIVING SACRIFICE

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


Offering yourself to God is what worship is all about.This act of personal surrender is called many things: consecration, making Jesus Lord, taking up our cross, dying to self, yielding to the Spirit. What matters is that we do it, not what we call it. God wants our life, all of it - 95 percent is not enough.

Our total surrender to God is blocked by several things including:

- Our ignorance of God - not knowing what He is really like;
- Our sinful nature - the desire to be God ourselves; and
- Our misunderstanding of surrender and the trust that it requires.
- Can We Trust God? Trust is an essential ingredient to surrender.

We can't surrender to God unless we trust Him, but we can't trust Him until we know Him better. Fear keeps us from surrendering, but love casts out all fear. The more we realise how much God loves us, the easier surrender becomes.

How do I know God loves me? He has given me just too many evidences and I will be a fool not trust Him after bringing me this far. I genuinely never thought I will reach the age of forty but here I am. Lets take at some of the evidences of His love for you and I in the scriptures.

God says He loves us "Psalm 145:9"
We are never out of His sight "Psalm 139:3"
He cares about every detail of our lives "Matthew 10:30"
He gave us the capacity to enjoy all kinds of pleasure "1 Timothy 6:17"
He has good plans for our lives "Jeremiah 29:11"
He forgives us "Psalm 86:5"
He's patient with us "Psalm 145:8"
He sacrificed His Son for us "Romans 5:8"

God loves us infinitely more than you and l can imagine. "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." Romans 12:1 If you want to know how much you matter to God, look at Christ with His arms outstretched on the cross saying, "I love you this much! I'd rather die than live without you."


Reflections:
When you completely surrender yourself to Jesus, you discover that He is not a tyrant but a saviour, not a boss, but a brother, not a dictator, but a friend. Why don't you just go ahead give yourself completely to Him today.

Power verses:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.-- 1 Peter 2:9

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.-- Isaiah 42:16

who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.-- Titus 2:14

2011 By Enyonam Gbekle. All rights reserved.