By Pastor Silas Imenwanmhin
Scripture: Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto the lord, which is your reasonable service
The first time I heard the word (A living sacrifice), I used to wonder how do someone present himself as a living sacrifice? Sacrifice is an act of slaughtering… How do someone slaughter himself as a sacrifice unto the Lord, how do I please God by slaughtering myself? I can give anything, sacrifice anything, but myself? Is that not too much to ask? Must I prove myself by slaughtering myself? You know, these where the questions in my head when I first read this scripture. Later I understood the scripture when I began to compare that scripture with other scriptures like 1 Peter 2:5: which says “… also as living stones are built up as a spiritual house, to offer up spiritual sacrifice…” I realize that am not actually the altar of sacrifice, I am built up as living stone, as a place of sacrifice, I am actually the altar and also the sacrifice. Offering myself as a living sacrifice is the sanity and holiness of my sacrifice.
The strength of your sacrifice is the altar and intention, not the volume. In sacrifice, quality is more important to God than the quantity. God wants you to fix the altar which is you, the altar must be acceptable. The intention behind anything you give to God as an offering, is what determines its state, wether you are offering service, time, money or worship. Whatever you offer to God, firstly, must be about the altar which of course you are the altar. You are the sacrifice… The man who had malice in his heart and came to offer sacrifice, he was asked to go make up first and come back. It wasn’t about the gift of sacrifice, it was about the sacrifice itself, where the altar and the sacrifice was coming from.
God is more interested in you than your gift. Sacrifice can only pass through alter to be accepted and the altar must be acceptable.
Today beloved, consciously check yourself, is there anything in this altar, that will make God turn away from your gift of service, gift of offering or ever gift of worship? It is time to offer up yourself as the sacrifice. Tell God to fix you, tell Him to work on you until you become acceptable. God is fixing you up this morning. Hallelujah!
