now there are some decisions that all of
us can make that in turn will help us make every other decision in our life.
they are decisions that help us make good decisions.
one of them
is, i can decide to live life GOD’s way.
that’s a decision we can make. romans 12.1 (esv) says, present your bodies as a living sacrifice to GOD.
in our modern world the idea of a
sacrifices is a foreign concept. we’re
not all that familiar with sacrifice.
but in ancient times people would take animals, they’d put them on stone
slabs, usually cut their throat or in some way have all the blood drain out and
offer that dead animal as an offering to GOD.
but in this verse the bible says, GOD doesn’t want us to be dead on an
altar. HE wants us to be alive. HE wants us to be a living offering to HIM, a
living sacrifice. it’s really the
essence of giving the full yes to GOD.
“GOD, i’ll give you my whole
life!”
if i could use a driving analogy, it
would be the picture of you getting out from behind the wheel of the car of
your life and getting over into the passenger seat and allowing GOD to get
behind the wheel and allowing him drive.
so then, instead of you being the leader or the director or the boss of
your destiny you’re looking to GOD and you’re wanting HIS ways to become your
ways. you’re submitting to HIM.
i know this is quite a challenge for us
independent types. we have a hard time
giving our whole life to GOD. i’ve
talked to enough of you to know the reasons why. some people have said things like this, if i
ever give a complete yes to GOD, if i ever say, GOD, you do what you want to
with my life, some of you believe that from that moment on your life will be
miserable. you’ll have to stop having
fun. GOD will dress you weird. you’ll have to talk funny. you’ll have to move to the remotest parts of
the world.
where do you get the idea that living
for GOD is a miserable life? that’s not
what the bible says. the first sermon
that JESUS ever preached was a message on how to find happiness in difficult
situations. there’s a book in the bible called philippians. the whole point of that whole book is about
how to find inner contentment and joy in a very challenging world. JESUS said in john 10.10 “I have come that
you might have life and have that life miserably.” that’s not what HE said. (gnt),
I have come in order that you
might have life – life in all its fullness.
just a thought from the front porch…
