SOUL AS AN OFFERING (3)
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.”
Beloveds, welcome to the third edition of our series, “Soul as an Offering.” In our previous study, we discovered that before God requires any offering from us, He first requires us to surrendered our lives. Today, we shall focus on the closing words of our main text: ”…which is your reasonable service.”
First, you must understand that Heaven has a standard for evaluating service. In other words, not everything celebrated by men is necessarily approved by God. What appears impressive on earth may fall short of Heaven’s expectation. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the Church is blessed with many forms of service. For example, singing glorifies God, prayer strengthens the believer, giving supports the work of the Gospel and serving in various ministries advances the local church. Each of these is valuable and should never be neglected. Yet the Bible says that God calls for a service that is reasonable, a service that reflects a life wholly surrendered to His purpose.
Friends, permit me to tell you that reasonable service is not merely performing religious duties; it is participating in God’s redemptive mission. And, throughout the Bible, one truth remains constant, which is, God’s heart is for souls as exemplified in Luke 19:10 saying, Christ came “to seek and to save that which was lost”, and in Luke 15:7, it says, Heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents. Therefore, if the salvation of souls is Heaven’s greatest pursuit, then every believer who labours to bring people to Christ is engaged in the highest expression of Kingdom service. Put directly, a surrendered life that reproduces other surrendered lives is rendering what God calls reasonable service.
Unfortunately, one of the greatest dangers in Christian service is confusing activity with productivity. A believer may faithfully attend every meeting, serve in multiple departments, give generously, and participate in every church program, yet never intentionally lead a single soul to Christ. Such a life may appear busy, but busyness is not always fruitfulness. Interestingly, God measures service not only by what we do within the church, but also by our commitment to His mission beyond its walls. For instance, the Church gathers for worship, but it is commissioned for the harvest. At this juncture, I urge you to pause for a moment and ask yourself, has my service produced eternal fruit? Since I gave my life to Christ, whose life has been transformed because of my witness? Can I point to souls that have become my offering to God? These are sobering questions, but they reveal whether your labour is merely applauded by men or rewarded by Heaven.
Frankly speaking, I have been tasked to remind you through this edition that God is calling His Church beyond religious routine into redemptive responsibility. He desires believers whose worship extends beyond the sanctuary into the harvest field. To this end, I encourage you to never substitute church activity for Kingdom impact. May your greatest offering be lives reconciled to Christ, and may your greatest joy be hearing your Master say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Prayer Points
- My Father and my God, teach me what You call reasonable service.
- Deliver me from religious activity without eternal fruit.
- Fill my heart with compassion for the lost and a passion for the Gospel.
- Make me an effective witness, leading many into Your Kingdom.
- Let my life and service produce fruit that will endure for eternity and bring glory to Your name.
Daily Reflection
If God evaluated your service today, would He count only your activities or would He also count the souls your life has helped bring to Christ?