Are we sacrificing enough???

Last Wednesday night, at church, we looked at Romans 12:1-3.

 

Romans 12 is my favorite chapter in the whole Bible. I mean, yes, they are ALL good chapters, but Romans 12 is definitely one that stands out to me.

 

Romans 12:2 is my favorite verse.

 

And even though I had read through it many, many times... something was said that got me really thinking.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 2:1 KJV

 

The part that got me was the living sacrifice.... more specifically the word sacrifice.

 

Here's what Merriam-Webster says about the word.

 

Sacrifice: the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone.

 

Take a moment and think of the ULTIMATE sacrifice. Christ dying on the cross to save us. God gave up something to help us. Christ gave up His desire of NOT wanting to die for us. Without that sacrifice, we would be DOOMED. We would not have eternity in Heaven as an option. Jesus truly paid the price- for us. Greatest sacrifice ever.

 

Now.... if we are suppose to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, because it's our reasonable service, what does that mean for us?

 

Another definition that was given was this.

 

Sacrifice: an act of offering to a deity something precious.

 

What can we offer to God that is something precious? What can we give up in order to serve Him more fully?

 

We live our daily lives in such a blur. We think we're sacrificing when we miss our favorite TV show for church, or when we give the person on the street our last $5 bill. We view sacrifices in such a trivial way. But really.... what are we sacrificing? What are we really sacrificing? And how does it compare to the ULTIMATE sacrifice?

 

No.... we will never come close to that, but here's something to think....

 

If Christ paid the biggest price for us- what can we do to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him? Shouldn't we be stepping it up and trying harder to live a life acceptable to God? Shouldn't we strive harder and harder to actually give up something for Him? And not just give Him the bare minimum?

 

I know I'm guilty.... and it's got me thinking.

 

What do you think?