In the world we live in, there is a nature to live for oneself, to enjoy the present. The fallen nature of man is marked by self-centeredness, self-preservation, and the constant pursuit of personal comfort. And sacrifice goes against everything the world tells us about prioritizing ourselves and protecting what’s ours.

As believers, we have a new nature, called to live for God, and that involves devoting time, resources, convenience, and even desires to Him. Yet many believers have fallen into a cycle of giving God what’s convenient, what we can spare, what doesn’t disrupt our lives too much. We offer Him the time we have left after everything else is done, the spare money after all our needs and wants are met, and we’ve invested in everything else. We call it sacrifice, but then, it costs us nothing.

True sacrifice, the kind that pleases God and honours His name, reflects our worship to him and requires something far more significant. It demands that we present our lives wholly to Him. True sacrifice to God in any form costs something.

Let’s look at how sacrifice was portrayed in the Old Testament:
2 Samuel 24:24
New King James Version‬‬
24 Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

King David had been instructed to build an altar and offer sacrifices to God to stop a plague. Araunah, the owner of the threshing floor where the altar was to be built, offered to give him everything he needed for free, and it would have been easy for King David to accept. It would have been convenient, but David refused. He insisted on paying for it. He clearly stated that if his burnt offering would not cost him anything, then he would not give it up as a sacrifice to God.

King David understood that sacrifice involved giving the best to God; unblemished lambs, first fruits, the finest of the flock, with reverence regardless of the cost, not leftovers or offerings at the barest convenience.

Malachi 1:8
New King James Version‬‬
8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the LORD of hosts.

God rebuked Israel for their lack of reverence for Him by bringing Him blind, lame, and sick animals instead of their best. He even highlighted their hypocrisy by telling them to offer such to their earthly governor, if he would be pleased with them.

The kind of sacrifices you are expected to give to God are the best of your best, that very thing that just might be the hardest to let go of. It requires you to be intentional, surrender, and sometimes be in discomfort. It should not be a thing done out of obligation or duty but from love and devotion to God.

While we no longer sacrifice lambs and oxen on an altar in this day, the heart of sacrifice still remains the same.

Let’s look at what Apostle Paul says in the New Testament:
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.

We see that the kind of sacrifice required of you is your whole being, every part of you. This is what God wants from you: that you are able to present yourself daily to Him as one who has been called holy, righteous, and sanctified. Apostle Paul says, “present your bodies a living sacrifice”. This is a daily and continual sacrifice. The kind that costs you your time, your talents, your resources, your ambitions, your comfort, your preferences; everything. This is what true worship looks like.

It is easy to want to do things at your convenience, pray when you feel like it, give financially when you have extra, obey when it doesn’t require too much of you. But you should understand that living sacrificially for God comes from a heart that understands the kind of love and sacrifice God showed by paying for the sins of the whole world through Christ Jesus, and that giving up anything for Him will never be considered as too much.

So, pause and ask yourself: Am I truly living sacrificially unto God? Am I truly laying down what matters most to me in devotion to God?
Do I intentionally carve out the best parts of my day to God in prayer and in His Word? Do I honour Him with my finances, trusting that He will provide for my needs? Have I laid my dreams, my career plans, my personal goals before God?

Your devotion to God requires you to step out of convenience and surrender all to him. Today, bring Him your best. Lay down what’s valuable to you. Surrender what you’ve been holding onto. Live in true worship to God.

Prayer Point
Father, today I present myself as a living sacrifice. I live a life that is acceptable unto you in faith. I totally surrender to you. And as I do so, my devotion and consecration to you is better for it.