SOUL AS AN OFFERING (2)
Main Text: Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Saints of God, welcome to the second edition of our series, “Soul as an Offering.” In our previous study, we discovered that souls won through the Gospel are an acceptable offering presented to God. In this edition, we shall examine what God require us to present before we are expected to present any offering.
Let me begin by drawing your attention to the greatest misconceptions in the body of Christ, which is the belief that God is primarily interested in what we bring to Him. First, you must understand that before God desires your money, your praise, your service, or your sacrifice, He desires you. This is why the Apostle Paul urges believers to present themselves as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.” As a matter of fact, God’s first demand is not for what is in your hand but for what is in your heart. Until the worshipper belongs to God, his offerings can never fully please Him.
Friends, it is important to mention that the altar claims the offerer before it receives the offering. In fact, the life of Cornelius beautifully illustrates this principle. He was a devout man, generous to the poor, and steadfast in prayer. His alms and prayers ascended before God as a memorial. Yet Heaven was not satisfied until Cornelius himself entered into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. For example, God sent Peter to preach the Gospel to him because generosity could not replace salvation. His gifts were commendable, but his greatest need was a surrendered life. It was only after Cornelius received Christ did his worship reach its intended fulfillment.
Child of God, permit me to remind you that God values transformed lives above religious activities. Sadly, many believers faithfully sing in the choir, preach, pray, dance, serve, and give generously. These are noble expressions of worship. However, the question is whether your life has been placed upon God’s altar? This is because it is possible to be active in ministry while remaining unsurrendered to the Master. It is possible to honor God with your lips while withholding your hearts. It is possible to fill the altar with gifts while refusing to become the sacrifice. In other words, God seeks more than occasional acts of devotion; He desires a life wholly yielded to His will because a surrendered heart sanctifies every service that flows from it.
Most Instructively, it should be noted that Paul did not call us to become a dead sacrifice but a living sacrifice. Unlike the sacrifices of the Old Testament, which were offered once, the believer presents himself to God continually. Simply put, each day you are to surrender your ambitions to His purpose, submit your desires to His will and choose obedience over convenience and holiness over compromise. This is the reasonable service of every child of God. Therefore, before asking what you should give to God, ask a more important question, have you first given Him yourself? For a surrendered life is the soil from which every acceptable offering grows. In essence, when the worshipper is on the altar, his worship carries fragrance. When the heart belongs to God, every act of service becomes an acceptable sacrifice. May we never become so occupied with bringing offerings that we forget to become the offering God desires most.
Prayer Points
- My Father and my God, I present my life to You afresh as a living sacrifice.
- Search my heart and remove everything that competes with Your Lordship.
- Let my worship, service, and giving flow from a life fully surrendered to You.
- Deliver me from empty religion and establish me in genuine consecration.
- Make my life an acceptable offering that brings glory and pleasure to Your name.
Daily Reflection
If God examined your worship today, would He find only your offerings on the altar, or would He find you there also?