Do you remember that one song, album, or music artist you would always listen to? Perhaps you could even say a huge chunk of their lyrics off the top of your head.
But once you began to grow as a believer, you realized you could no longer go on singing them. Or maybe it was a show you constantly watched, but then you had to stop it because it did not align with your Christian values. What you did there is a type of sacrifice unto God, which we’re going to talk about this morning.

Throughout this week, we’ve laid the foundation of what it means to sacrifice for the things of God, giving Him of the things that hold great value to us, including our time.

But one thing we must also understand when it comes to making sacrifices unto God is that it doesn’t just stop at letting go of resources or things of value. It also extends to how we live our everyday lives.

Apostle Paul makes this clear in Romans 12:1
New King James Version
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.

Looking at this text in the light of the Old Testament would give us more understanding.

Back then, God’s people (the Jews in the Old Testament) would bring offerings of bulls, goats, and lambs to the priest for sacrifice. And these were usually brought from their own herd/flock, or paid for. Thus, it still in some way required them to part with or let go of their resources in some form.

But now Apostle Paul is implying that after salvation, the sacrifice should be the believer themselves, even though he/she is alive. This connotes a life that is completely sold out to God. It’s a life no longer lived for one’s own pleasures, but yielded to God for His own purpose. It’s a life of self-denial. Jesus also declared this truth to His disciples in Matthew’s account of the gospel.

Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭
New King James Version‬‬
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

This is one of the most fundamental sacrifices a believer can make— giving up their own personal preferences, interests, or desires or comfort, to live for God.
And so, just like the example of when you had to let go of that song or movie preference— that was a sacrifice of your personal preferences for life choices that are unto God. But this shouldn’t be a one-time thing; for the believer, it’s a constant lifestyle. 

Choosing to live sacrificially will demand dying to selfish desires. It would have you pick the will of God over comfort every time. It’s choosing to be obedient rather than pursuing convenience. It’s in the days when you’re tired from working all day, but you still pull yourself to your altar because it’s your prayer time. It’s in the days you’re willing to forego meals to consecrate yourself to God in prayer and study. It’s in the days you have to show up for that assignment the Lord has asked you to do, even when it’s uncomfortable to. It’s also in the days you have to give your resources in honour of God and obedience to Him. It’s in your daily decisions.

But while we talk about what sacrificial living looks like. It’s also important we highlight what makes it possible. Because totally surrendering one’s own personal desires and comfort for another doesn’t come easily for the natural man. In fact, it’s almost impossible.

And so a life totally surrendered to God can only be as a result of salvation in Christ. This is a reality Apostle Paul described in the book of Galatians.

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬ ‭
New King James Version‬‬
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

When you received the life of Christ, you were connected to His death and resurrection through the baptism of the Spirit. And so in His death, you also died to sin, crucified with Him. Then you were raised with Him, a new man, now able to live for God, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So the ability to live sacrificially, unto God, is a product of your salvation, and it is sustained through your relationship with the Holy Spirit— through constant fellowship with Him and receptiveness to His nudgings.   When we walk in the Spirit, we would not fulfill our fleshly lusts. We would therefore live for God even when it costs us.

That goes without saying, your time of devotion with God is non negotiable. If you try to walk in obedience only by your human strength, you would struggle. The grace to do so comes from God.

Finally, as you go about the rest of your day, intentionally highlight the areas of your life where you haven’t been able to give up your comfort for obedience to God. And make a conscious declaration that from today, till the end of the year and after, you will choose God in your daily decisions. And that your life will bear the marks of a living sacrifice.

Prayer Point
Father, thank you for your word and your power at work in me. Help me by your Spirit to choose you in my daily decisions. Let my body be presented to you as a living sacrifice.