This morning during my quiet time my heart was filled up with joy reading this verse. “Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans 12:1

As you read the chapter, it became clear that being a living and holy sacrifice is to use the gifts God has given us to serve others. The Bible refers to those gifts as gifts of grace or spiritual gifts. God gifts us to serve Him by serving one another. God wants us to live for Him and for His glory! Get it? A living sacrifice.

The Jewish believers reading this would have readily understood that once a sacrifice was offered to the Lord in the Temple that it would be either burned up or ate up. It other words it was used up!

Do you feel like that? How many times have you said, “I’m spent.” What you meant was you were used up.

A friend was talking to me about something that had happened to him. He said, “That burns me up!”

Some people literally let anger, fear, or worry eat them up. They are ate up with things that most of the time never happen!

That’s not the life God intends for us. Rather, the Scriptures clearly states, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17

Prayer, devotion, praise, singing, and gathering together to worship are part of how we worship. If we think that coming to the sanctuary on a Sunday morning is the only way we worship, we have missed it. The prophets and psalmist addressed the people of their day who thought worship was done once they offered a sacrifice at the temple and failed to live life’s of loving service to one another.

Sunday is the beginning of the week for us. A Sabbath rest to gather with family and friends to offer worship, prayers, and receive the grace of Communion and the preaching of God’s Word. We are filled up to go out and serve in the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.

Are you a living sacrifice? Could you bring a colleague a cup of coffee? An iced tea? Just because you appreciate their work. Who have you served? How did you serve? Could you help them finish a project? Who have you helped today? Do you know a couple who could use a night off? Do you have a skill that you could share with someone. The possibilities of serving are limitless?

Do you have any ideas of serving others you would share with me? Would you help me by sharing this with your network? Also leave a comment or send me an email sharing what gifts God has given you?

I’m attaching at the end of this post, Romans 12:1-2a from the Message. You’ll find it enlightening!

Peace!

“Here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God.” Romans 12:1–2a, Message