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.
—Romans 12:1
These days when you shop for a car, you can pick from hundreds of options, heated seats, premium sound, a whole crayon box of paint colors. You build it your way, put it in your cart, take it for a test drive, and decide if you want it. We live in a pick-and-choose kind of world.
And, unfortunately, that’s exactly how many people approach following Jesus. It’s pick and choose. A little commitment here, an opt-out there. What I’ll do, what I won’t. It’s an option-laden, part-time, half-hearted kind of Christianity. But where did we ever get the idea that you could be a part-time Christian? Paul will have none of it.
Listen to how he opens this appeal: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God.” In the older translations it reads, “I beseech you”, literally, I beg you. Paul doesn’t pull rank or command; he comes alongside like a loving older brother and says, “Let me talk to you about something that really matters.” This is an invitation, not coercion.
And what is this “living sacrifice” he begs us to become? We immediately think of the Old Testament, a lamb slain on the altar. But Christ, the unblemished Lamb, has already provided that dying sacrifice once and for all. What He asks of us is different: a living one. Our old self ceases, and we offer Him a new life that stays on the altar.
I love the old story of Mrs. Chicken and Mrs. Pig deciding to make Farmer Brown a nice breakfast. “I’ll provide the eggs,” said Mrs. Chicken, “if you’ll provide the bacon.” And Mrs. Pig replied, “What you’re asking of me is total commitment — while you’re only making a contribution!” So many treat following Jesus as a contribution. God is calling for total commitment by consecration.
And here’s the beautiful paradox: when you give your life to God unconditionally, He gives it back in ways you could never imagine. As the missionary Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”
There’s just one problem with a living sacrifice, it tends to crawl off the altar. That’s why this can’t be a one-time decision. Every morning I get up and surrender the details of my day, my family, my schedule, my profession, all over again. And when I notice I’ve slipped off, I climb right back up and say, “God, here’s my life.”
Are you all in?
GOD IS CALLING FOR A CONSECRATION, NOT A CONTRIBUTION, CLIMB UP ON THE ALTAR AND GIVE HIM YOUR WHOLE SELF.
