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How to be a living sacrifice
Romans 12:1 says, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him”.
Paul urges us to be a living sacrifices. To give our lives for God’s service. But how do we go about being a living sacrifice? If we read through the rest of chapter Romans 12 Paul gives us a few clues.
1. Renew our mind
Verse 2 -"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will".
This is a vital first step if we are wanting to live a life in God’s service. We need to line our hearts and minds up with God by reading the Bible and focusing on Godly pursuits (Philippians 4:8). The result is “you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect”.
2. Have a right opinion of ourselves
Verses 3-5 - "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others".
A part of being a living sacrifice means having a right view of yourself. It should not be too high or too low. We need to realise that we are all part of Christ’s body with a role to play. None are more or less important than others and we are all God’s gift to each other.
3. Use our gifts well
Verses 6-8 - "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."
Paul tells us to use whatever gift God has given us to the best of our abilities. If it is to prophesy, teach, serve, give, show kindness or encourage we should do the best job we can. Paul also reminds us in verse 8 that we should serve others gladly.
4. Really love each other
Verses 9-11 - "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord".
I love the way the NLT puts it “Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them”. That is straight to the point! We love others in practical ways when we “hate what is wrong, stand on the side of good and love with genuine affection”. We love by serving them and by standing with people in times of trouble.
5. Be hospitable
Verses 12-13 - "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality".
Paul tells us to help those who are in need and to get into the habit of inviting people into our homes for meals or lodgings. Opening our homes is a simple way of being a living sacrifice and serving God with what we have. While we do this we need to be joyful because of our great hope, patient in suffering and keep on praying.
6. Live in harmony
Verses 14-20 - "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
In the last section Paul urges us to live at peace with everyone. The NIV says to live at peace with everyone as much as it depends on you. We should try to love and serve others even if they persecute us as Christians. God makes it very clear it is not our place to curse or take revenge. That is a big sacrifice at times and is contrary to a worldly way of thinking.
7. Conquer evil with good (v21)
Verse 21 - "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good"
Paul finally finishes this section with a plea to not let evil overcome us, but we need to press on and overcome evil with good deeds. As I once heard it said, “Evil prospers when good people do nothing”. We need to not grow weary in doing good because the harvest is coming (Galatians 6:9-10).
Conclusion
As we can see from these things being a living sacrifice is about renewing our mind and then going on to do God’s will for our lives. He wants us to live in peace with those around, to love and serve others, to not take revenge when wronged and to conquer the evil things that take place in this world by doing good. And while we do these things we are to keep our hope, be patient when things are going wrong and keep praying faithfully.
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