Day 17: My Body is to be a Living Sacrifice

Dear friend,

We are looking at the life of Jesus as our pattern to follow. The doing of God’s will culminated for Him in the sacrifice of His body. He knew that when He set out to do God’s will. It may surprise you to know but it’s very clearly stated in Scripture that, for you and me to do God’s will, it requires, likewise, the sacrifice of our bodies. But there is a difference. The sacrifice for the body of Jesus meant its death. However, we are told by Paul to sacrifice our bodies while still living. Here’s the verse in 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 – which is your spiritual worship.” (NIV)

So, God says, "In the light of all that I have done for you; in the light of My total provision for you, the response I require from you is that you will offer your body as a living sacrifice. That you’ll place your body on My altar. That you’ll make your body available to Me without reservation."

If you offer your body as a living sacrifice to God, you no longer claim ownership of your body. You no longer decide where your body will go. You no longer decide what your body will do. You no longer decide what your body will eat or what it will wear. You’ve given up the right to make those decisions. From now on, your body no longer belongs to you – it belongs to God. You’ve sacrificed it to Him, living on His altar. Whatever is placed on the altar of God belongs thereafter to God. It does not any longer belong to the person who gave it. That’s what God requires, that we, just like Jesus, sacrifice our bodies. The difference is, Jesus sacrificed His body through death – we are asked to sacrifice our bodies while still alive. To hand it over to God; to give up our rights and our claims; no longer to be the one who decides where my body will go, what my body will eat, what it will wear. Those decisions are no longer ours because our body no longer belongs to us.

Now, that may sound very frightening. But I want to tell you, it’s very exciting. And it may not end up with you wearing rags and sandals and living on bread and water. God has got all sorts of ideas about what He might do with you and your body. But He’s not going to tell you until your body belongs to Him. You’ve got to commit first, then understand. Let me remind you, commitment leads to understanding; not understanding to commitment. Trust the Lord and commit yourself to Him wholeheartedly – mind, body and soul.