DRAWING NEAR
July 9
A Living Sacrifice
"Offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).
Every faculty you have is to be used for God's glory.
In Romans 12:1 Paul pleads with believers to present their bodies to
God as a living and holy sacrifice, which is an appropriate and
acceptable act of worship. But as someone has rightly said, the
problem with living sacrifices is they tend to crawl off the altar.
That's because sacrificial living demands spiritual discipline and
constant dependence on the Holy Spirit. We as Christians aren't
always willing to do that.
According to Paul, the motivation and ability for self-sacrifice are
found in the mercies we've already experienced in Christ. In Romans 1
-11 he mentions several, including love, grace, peace, faith,
comfort, power, hope, patience, kindness, glory, honor,
righteousness, forgiveness, reconciliation, justification, security,
eternal life, freedom, resurrection, sonship, intercession, and the
Holy Spirit. Because you've received all that, you should gladly
surrender every faculty you have for holy purposes.
"Body" in Romans 12:1 also includes your mind. Verse 2 says, "Do not
be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is
good and acceptable and perfect." A transformed mind is the key to
transformed behavior.
Prior to your salvation, you had neither the desire nor the ability
to make such a sacrifice. But because you are a new creation in
Christ, you are not to "go on presenting the members of your body to
sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but . . . as instruments of
righteousness to God" (Rom. 6:13). One practical implication? Abstain
from sexual immorality. Know how to possess your own body in
sanctification and honor (1 Thess. 4:3-4).
You are a holy priest, and your priestly work begins with presenting
yourself as a living and holy sacrifice. Is that your desire? Are you
a faithful priest?
Suggestions for Prayer:
Thank God for His bountiful mercies toward you. Commit this day to
Him, asking for the grace to live a holy life.
For Further Study:
Read Romans 6.
What choices do you have as a believer that you didn't have as an
unbeliever? What is the benefit of being God's slave?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)
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 is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God.
(NNAS)
12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is,
that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-4
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should
abstain from sexual immorality;
4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in
sanctification and honor
Romans 6
6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may
abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that
just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death,
certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be
slaves of sin.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live
with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no
more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the
life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you
should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness
to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead,
and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under
law but under grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under
grace? Certainly not!
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to
obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading
to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were
delivered.
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness.
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For
just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of
lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members
as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to
righteousness.
21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now
ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves
of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting
life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase@wowway.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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There is a living God. He has spoken in His word. He means just what he says, and will do all that He has promised. - Hudson Taylor
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