MY PRESENT
Sixth of
fourteen devotions in Gethsemane series
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.”
The previous devotion, Measure of Love challenged Believers to
be “all in” for God. Total surrender to
His service is what my present
spiritual act of worship means. Way too
many Christians aren’t that committed to Christ.
Imagine what would have happened
if—when Jesus called Peter, James and John to “follow Me”—they shrugged their
shoulders and answered, “Maybe. … Ask me again tomorrow.” That response is sort of when God calls us
to be all in.
If those fishermen hadn’t jumped at
following Jesus immediately, we’d be seven books short of a whole Bible
today. Now Apostle Paul asks us to
present ourselves as living sacrifices to God.
That’s not a problem for those who’re already all in by surrendering themselves fully to God’s service. They’re walking, talking spiritual acts of
worship all day long every day.
The point of this devotion is for
you to picture placing yourself on God’s altar as a living sacrifice. My
Present to God will end up being His present to you! Sort of
following God leaves some parts of “me” out of the surrender equation.
That’s why all of you is placed on
God’s altar. Your talents, your body,
your mind, your heart, time and treasures belong to Him. Old Testament animal sacrifices show the
entire animal placed on the altar. Sacrificing
lamb’s legs weren’t good enough for God to forgive people’s sins.
All of Jesus hung on the cross to
die for your forgiveness. He left
nothing out. That’s why we honor, adore
and worship Him for His total sacrifice for us!
My
Present is necessary to demonstrate our sincerity and commitment. Worship isn’t only singing praises to
God. True worship is giving oneself entirely
to God. Total surrender.
See Daniel’s total surrender to God
that brought him total success in the lesson, linked below.
Take Home Nugget
Your King is calling. He’s asking His kids to be “living
sacrifices”.
Literally,
we’re to be living dead things. Part of the
Believer is dead to sin, the sinful nature and personal will. The rest of us is alive in Christ.
The way to surrender to Almighty God
is making His priorities first in our lives.
His priorities then morph into our priorities! God’s
present in response to your present is sharing same mind, same heart.
Oh my!
You want all of me, Lord, and
I want to honor You with my thoughts, words and choices. Thank You for empowering me to increasingly desire
more of service that’s pleasing to you! Amen.
Adapted from “Present Your Bodies.” Dr. Tony Evans.
February 8-9, 2016.
http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/alternative-view/
Adapted from “A Commitment to Obey.” Dr. Charles Stanley. March 25, 2015. In Touch magazine. Georgia, USA.
J.D. Griffith
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