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Mar 27, 2025 06:00am

Living Sacrificially

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Do you ever watch the live cameras of eagles’ nests? You know, you can watch the parents take care of their eggs, watch them hatch and grow? I watched it the other day and a snowstorm was raging around the nest. The wind was blowing hard and snow covered the nest. The mother eagle was stretched out over her young, covered in snow, with her head bowed low to bear the force of the blizzard. She was protecting them from the brutal cold.

A mother knows about sacrifice, doesn’t she? From the moment she learns she’s carrying life within her, a sense of protection overwhelms her. She knows that no matter the circumstances, she will put her child first. Shivering as she wraps her child in the only coat they have. Working two jobs so she can send her child to college. Going without food so her child can eat. Staying up late to make sure they get home okay because they are a new driver. Giving up her dreams so her child can accomplish his.

This isn’t just about mamas. And we know not every mother is like this. But we all know what it means to sacrifice for the one you love.

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.”

Paul is urging, begging his fellow believers to understand the relationship we now have with the Father. Because of the mercies of God, we have been spared from His wrath. We have been saved! So, what then? What should our response be? Paul said it is reasonable service, or our way of worshipping God for what He’s done, to do one thing…

To offer ourselves as a living sacrifice.

Not to literally lie down on a burning altar, but to live sacrificially for God. What does that look like?

It’s waking up every morning with Christ as the first thing on our minds. It’s surrendering to His will at the start of each day and using our time, money, gifts, and effort throughout the day for His glory.

Sacrifice.

Do you think it’s asking too much of you? Many argue, “this is my life, I’ll live it the way I want.” Is it? If you have asked the Lord to save you, it is no longer your life. You have been bought with a price. Your debt has been paid and you belong to the Lord.

The One who knows true sacrifice.

John 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

Isaiah 53:3-6
“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held Him in low esteem.
4 Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Ephesians 5:2
“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Christ loves us so much that He gave His life for us so that we could be saved.

And our response, our reasonable service, our worship to Him in return, is to live FOR Him. A living sacrifice. Choosing His will and His glory over our own. Every day.

Today, let us choose surrender. Lord, we put You first! Guide us today to do Your will. Let it be Your mind in us as we make decisions, as we speak, act, and think. May we reflect and share Your love to others.

It’s the only reasonable thing to offer for the mercy You have shown us.

Would you like to learn more about what a life looks like fully devoted to following Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org.