Life-Offering
Scripture: Romans 12:1-2 | I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
During a wedding ceremony, the bride and groom choose to place the individual candles back into their holders with the flames burning. Just before the groom could get situated to escort the bride back to the alter for the final prayer and the announcement, the pastor noticed a little impish gleam in the eyes of the bride, and unexpectedly she leaned over and blew out her husband’s candle. The congregation burst into laughter. Later the pastor performing the ceremony told his church staff, “During the marriage ceremony two become one – after the honeymoon they discover which one!”
Todays wedding ceremony has become about as individual and personal as the couple “tying the not.” Some couples choose to celebrate the tradition of lighting candles during the wedding ceremony while others don’t. The couple that makes the choice to light candles during their ceremony can then choose to communicate a message that is equally individual and personal. As the bride and groom each take their lit candles, they proceed to use their individual candles to light the unity candle. What the couple does with the two individual candles communicates an important message. If they choose to leave the individual candles lit, they communicate that they are going to unite as a couple yet remain two unique and separate people. However, if they choose to blow their candles out, they are dying to self and becoming one. When we walked that well-known isle and united our hearts and lives with Christ’s on our conversion day, how did we communicate our commitment to Him? What kind of commitment did we make? Did we blow out our individual light or keep it lit?
Our passage today stated that when I offer myself to God, it’s an “act of worship.” It is the highest from of worship I can give to God. This act of worship takes place when I place myself on the altar of sacrifice and give myself completely to God. I am now and forever living under His authority. I relinquish all claims I ever thought I had on my life and I give yourself completely and totally to God’s Word, Will, Ways and Work. God can do with my LIFE OFFERING whatever He pleases or desires. I am no longer my own the moment I trusted Christ as my personal Savior and committed to His Lordship over my life. I now belong to Him completely. I am not my own for I have been bought with a price (1Cor.6:20). “I’ve been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal.2:20). Offering myself to Him is the most pleasing, reasonable, intellectual and spiritual offering I can offer to God. I die to myself each and every day and choose to live for Him alone.
LIFE APP:
- God desires to be my Sovereign Lord, accepts nothing less
- Commitment to Christ is dying to myself and enthroning Him
- Offering myself as a Life-Offering is my best act of worship
PRAY:
- Father, I want YOU to be Sovereign Lord over my life
- Jesus, I place my life before YOU as a Life-Offering
- I lay aside any and all claims to my life I might think that I have
- Make me completely/totally YOURS from this moment forward
