Hammer on Anvil '

Recently I was worshiping, thanking God for His magnanimous grace and mercy. I thanked Him that we no longer have to trudge to the temple on a regular basis to present offerings for various things (a cursory read of the first five chapters of Leviticus will get you up to date on what I mean, if you are not already familiar). Because Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb who paid the price for our sins, we no longer have to corral sheep and doves and other animals and lay them on the altar to be sacrificed.

I would imagine making those regular sacrifices was a rather laborious undertaking. You had to be aware of the exact offense, what animal and precisely what PARTS of the animal were to be sacrificed. Grain offerings had to be mixed with salt and oil. Certain offerings were made on certain days or during annual celebrations.

As I said, I am grateful we don't have to do that anymore as followers of Christ. But what I fear is that we have swung the pendulum entirely the other direction. Instead of making all those sacrifices for our sins, we accept the atoning blood of Jesus, get our free ticket to heaven, and then skip away as if we hadn't a care in the world.

This is one of my biggest grievances with the modern church. Instead of discipling new believers, we push them to make a profession of faith and let them go on their merry way. Their only recourse, in the absence of a solid discipleship program, is to observe others in the church and do as they do. This can be tragic, because most of the others are doing only what they have observed because THEY were never taught, either.

We no longer have to sacrifice animals to have our sins forgiven. But what IS required of us? Our very bodies are to be LIVING SACRIFICES, surrendered to God, devoted to Him and His purposes (Romans 12:1). That means you lay yourself on the altar and ask for God to consume your "old man" (pre-conversion) so that your "new man" can live entirely for Him. That's what Paul means in Galatians 2:20 when he says, "I am crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Friends, let us not live our lives knowing more about "Dancing with the Stars" or "American Idol" than we do about our Savior. Let us seek His face and inquire of Him what it means for us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. May He be our first thought in the morning, as we spend unhurried time in worship and prayer and feeding on His Word. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to guide our steps throughout the day, and to give us opportunities to share God's love with another who may desperately need it.

What does the Lord require of us? Micah 6:8 says it well: "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Recently in my devotions I was reading from 2 Samuel 24. David had sinned against the Lord, and was instructed by Gad to build an altar. David set about his task immediately. He asked a man named  Araunah to sell him his threshing floor, which would become the site of the altar.

Since David was the king, Araunah humbly bowed before him, and told David he could have the threshing floor free of charge. David's response is what I want to focus on today: "I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

What does it mean to sacrifice to God offerings that cost me nothing? It could mean any number of things. It could mean my "devotional time" is a few seconds at the end of a busy day, rather than rising while it is still dark to soak in His presence before the day begins. It could mean doing everything I want to do with "my" money, and tossing Him the crumbs I have leftover. It could mean only ministering to the needy when it fits conveniently into my schedule.

The missing link in these scenarios is that no sacrifice is involved -- and sacrifice is precisely what Jesus calls us to do. Rising while it is still dark may mean getting less sleep. Giving to God the first fruits of your finances (as we are instructed to do in Proverbs 3:9) may mean sacrifice in other areas of your spending. Being available to God 24 hours a day requires sacrifice. He may awaken you at 2 a.m. to pray for somebody. An acquaintance from church may call in the middle of the night, desperate for prayer and some words of encouragement. You may need to visit someone in the hospital, when you would prefer to enjoy an evening at home with family.

David was unwilling to offer to God that which cost him nothing. Yet many Christians prefer to remain in their comfort zones, and wince at the thought of sacrificing their time or money.

Romans 12:1 urges us to offer our very bodies as living sacrifices. My prayer for 2014 is that Christians everywhere would desire to "be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). I pray that we would remember that we are not our own; we were bought with the precious blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:20) and are to honor Him in all that we do.

Instead of focusing on our possessions and how many more things we think we need, let's think of how little we can get by with, in order that we may bless someone else less fortunate. Instead of hoarding our savings, consider giving sacrificially to a worthwhile ministry, or travel to a third-world country yourself and be broken bread and poured-out wine to the poverty-stricken and HIV-infected.

The opportunities are endless. All Jesus requires of us is that we be completely HIS.

I’m sure we’ve all heard it before – As Christians, we are called to die to self (see these verses).  What a strange concept though.  I’m sure non-Christians overhear us talking about this and furrow their eyebrows in confusion while they consider us to be suicidal religious nuts.  In a way, though, we ARE suicidal religious nuts.  Dying to self is our living Christian Jihad; we are at war with powers and principalities in the spiritual realm (see Ephesians 6:12) and the way we battle is by laying down our lives as living sacrifices (see Romans 12:1-2).

 

But what the heck does it mean to be a living sacrifice?  I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately, especially as it pertains to myself.  Dying to self isn’t some instantaneous event that occurs once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.  It is a process; it requires both time and effort.  It is finding those things that are a part of us that are not from God and laying them down, sacrificing them.  And it is finding those things that are from God and picking them up and making them a part of who we are.

 

This process is tough.  It’s tough to figure out which things are and are not from God, and once we figure it out, the sacrificing part is tough too.  And it’s personal.  We each have different things that need to be sacrificed.  Sure, we have God helping us out, and if we are wise we have accountability partners and/or mentors encouraging us along the way, but in the end it is you and you alone who has to step up and make the sacrifice.

 

One thing that I, personally, have been struggling to sacrifice lately is politics.  I wrote a post a few months ago entitled Why I’m Done With Politics.  What I’m learning is that sacrificing something is easier said than done.  I just get so fired up about the issues.  I want to weigh in on gun control, the fiscal cliff, Obamacare, gay marriage, debt, taxes, etc, etc, etc.  But for the reasons I stated in that post, I know that this is something I need to sacrifice.

 

Please understand that I’m not saying that politics is a bad thing in and of itself.  I have simply recognized that Christ had higher priorities and so I should too.  People don’t get saved by policies instituted by men; they get saved by God’s people (His Body) demonstrating His love and following His will.

 

Step two of this process of becoming a living sacrifice will be to take up my cross and follow Christ (see Luke 9:23).  What that means is that as I slowly sacrifice politics, I replace that way of thinking with God’s mentality.  Instead of seeing issues, I’m beginning to see people.  Instead of seeing hope in policies instituted by men, I'm choosing to see hope in the power of God.

 

So, that’s where I’m at right now.  As I mentioned, we all face different challenges.  What is God calling you to sacrifice?

 

“’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.  ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” – Isaiah 55:8-9