Jesus has given his life for us, it is our turn to offer him our hearts in order to be pleasing to him, as living sacrifices to God.
The Christian life must not be a strolling life, a life of no substance.
Romans 12.1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which your reasonable service.
Sacrifice is synonymous with total self-denial.
Self-denial:
– It is to voluntarily cease to claim one’s right to do whatever one wants, but to do what one must do.
– It is to stop pursuing fleshly desires that compromise life with Christ.
– It is also accepting that something is not done, no longer exists in one’s life for the benefit of a new good thing or habit.
There are many kinds of sacrifices: time, money, sleep, comfort, vacations, leisure…
It is important to understand and value the sacrifice of Christ at the cross so that you do not trample on the blood shed for your life.
Thus, any sacrifice necessary to know the Lord, you must make.
You must learn to leave everything aside, to seek the face of the Lord.
Leave money, work, vacation time, and distractions behind and turn to the Lord Jesus.
For instance, taking a week or two off to seek the Lord will never be in vain.
It will be a better sacrifice for your own life but also an excellent sacrifice before the Lord.
Any other sacrifice is vanity.
– Depriving yourself to have clothes, cars.
– Working two jobs to save millions in your bank account.
– And even sacrificing yourself to go to all the funerals and giving a large sum of money as a contribution, if there is no Jesus, is not profitable.
All these things might seem essential to you, but without Jesus, it is just vanity.
True joy, peace, well-being, or wealth that the world can never take away are obtained in the presence of the Lord. In Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
And because of the great price paid to redeem you from the hand of the enemy, you must be challenged to improve your relationship with the Lord, to practice his word, and love him with all your heart.
You are a priest set apart for God, consecrated for eternal life.