Our culture encourages us to be obsessed with ourselves, but the bible teaches us to serve God and others. Paul said in Romans 12:1, “I urge you … to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
What is a living sacrifice?
To live as a Christian is to put to death the right to live life as you choose, to fully surrender to Jesus in a life of service to Him and to others. When you do this, it feels like a death, but on the other side of this decision is life. This is your true act of service.
If you think that in living to please yourself you are free, you are kidding yourself. You are a slave to whatever you are living for. You are not free. Everyone serves someone or something. So do it God’s way. Offer your body to God.
1) Being a living sacrifice is offering your whole life in service to God.
Our bodies are just as important to God as our soul and our mind. It’s not enough to believe the truth and have inner peace but misuse or ignore our bodies. Our thoughts and feelings can’t do anything on their own. We act through our bodies. We make a difference and serve through our bodies. So offer your whole life to God, including your body – to serve Him and to serve others. Use your strength, use your words, use your hands and your feet to serve others. Use your skills and abilities, your time and your resources to serve God and others.
When you serve, God sees you and is proud of you. When you serve, you are making a difference. Your serving is not in vain.
2) Being a living sacrifice will result in you being empowered to serve.
When you give yourself fully to God, He invests into you, equipping you and empowering you to serve. He gave you natural talents and abilities. He fills you with His Spirit and also gives you one or more spiritual gifts for the benefit of others. He gives you such gifts as prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and showing mercy. These gifts are given to you by God and through the Holy Spirit according to His will and purpose.
God has invested in you a gift. Don’t sit on it; don’t neglect it. Leverage your gift, grow your gift, steward your gift, serve according to your gift and have an impact on others. Use your gift to bless others. If you are not serving somewhere, find your spot and serve.
3) Being a living sacrifice results in you being a part of a family.
You are now part of a body. You’re no longer on your own; you’re part of a community of followers of Jesus called the Church. We are one body but many members. We all have a different function, but we’re unified in Christ.
When you are part of a family, you belong to each other. Family members all pitch in and do chores. If something needs to get done, you get it done. You serve each other, you rely on each other, you love and care for each other, you share family responsibilities, you support and look out for each other, and you tell the truth to each other because you love each other. Like it or not, being family means we take responsibly for each other and others are responsible for you.
It's no different in the church. Don’t sit on gifts that this church needs lived out.