Present Yourself As A Living Sacrifice To God

How do you present yourself as a living sacrifice to God? In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul instructed his readers how to accomplish that and what that looks like.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1

From the time God freed the Israelites from Egypt, the Lord required them to offer sacrifices. He established The Passover, where each family had to kill a lamb for their Passover meal.

They needed to take some of its blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes. God passed over the homes when He saw the blood, making them unaffected by the plague of death.

God continued to require animal sacrifices up until Jesus offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for all humanity. He made salvation available to all who call upon the name of Jesus.

The death and resurrection of Jesus satisfied God, which ended all other sacrifices except for one. Paul said you should present yourself as a living sacrifice to the Lord.

Why does God want you to present yourself as a living sacrifice? Verse one says because of all God has done for you. Then, the apostle followed up with some instructions and warnings.

Present Yourself to God and Not to the World

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

Present yourself to God and change from your worldly behavior. After which He can transform you by changing the way you think. Plus, He will teach you His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Romans 12:3

When he said, “in your evaluation of yourselves,” he wasn’t talking about standing in front of the mirror. Nor flexing your muscles in self-admiration. Measure yourself from the inside out.

God has provided us all with enough faith to move mountains. When Jesus walked on the earth, He marveled over those with great faith. The Lord wants our self-evaluation to start from there.

The Body of Christ

Paul moved from talking about us as individuals to us fitting together as one body. Because of that, He wanted to ensure you present yourself to God and turn away from worldly pleasures.

Thus, you belong to something much greater than yourself. Those committing their lives to Jesus make up the Body of Christ. Therefore, each of us becomes a different part of His Body.

Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. Romans 12:4-5

As members of His Body, Paul called the functions of the Body spiritual gifts that every Christian has. He offered a shortlist of these spiritual gifts in this chapter of Romans.

So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.
If your gift is serving others, serve them well, if you are a teacher, teach well.
Or if your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.
If it is giving, give generously. Also, if God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.
And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:6-8

The apostle hasn’t strayed from the subject he started with about how to present yourself as a living sacrifice. But first, he wanted us to see the connection we have with one another.

The Road Map of How to Present Yourself as a Living Sacrifice

The next section of Romans 12 is a roadmap of how to present yourself to God. It consists of practical ways to offer your body to God as a living sacrifice.

Love

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:9-10

We start with love since it envelops God’s nature. The verse says, don’t pretend but really love others. If you say about someone that you “have to love them,” then do you really love them?

Work

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Romans 12:11

When you present yourself as a living sacrifice, God expects all His children to work and serve. None of us can work or serve enthusiastically if we carry an I don’t care attitude.

Rejoice and Patience

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12

Impatience hinders anyone from rejoicing. So, when trouble stares you in the face, be patient because of your confident hope in the Lord. And through prayer, stay in contact with God.

Meet Needs

When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Romans 12:13

As Paul continued, he offered another way to present yourself as a living sacrifice. Be ready to help others in need and practice hospitality. Then, he proceeded by offering other practical ways.

Other Practical Ways to Present Yourself as a Living Sacrifice

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.
Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people.
And don’t think you know it all!
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Romans 12:14-17

What Paul wrote in Romans 12 carries more weight than just mere suggestions. The next verse serves as an exclamation point when you present yourself as a living sacrifice to God.

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Romans 12:18

Lord, thank you for describing to us what it means to present yourself as a living sacrifice.

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