A Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

When someone claims that his heart is filled with love, he simply cannot live without giving all that he has - if he has to - to prove his love. This theory is simply not new to us since we have wonderful parents who demonstrate their love by sacrificing their sleep, time, energy and other material stuff just because they love us. Similarly, all may claim to love God, but on daily basis, when we are challenged to prove our love to God, many fail. What does God expect from us as a token of love? He loves the gift of our complete self, presented in the altar of worship, as living sacrifice. A sacrifice is a price paid(a loss in time, energy, dignity, comfort or any other material thing belonging to one's self for self-accomplishments) to prove one's love. God says that HE wants us as HOLY sacrifices. Can we be HOLY by ourselves? No! Then What does God mean by presenting ourselves as HOLY sacrifices? I think the answer is right in the next verse.

Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

We must not be conformed to this world that we live in. This separation from the world is holiness from God's perspective and is definitely a sacrifice from our perspective. So many abominable spirits like the following dominate the world:

• spirit of lust(if you can't live happily without having that one thing, you are lusting after it!)
• spirit of fear(fear of people, fear of future), spirit of accusation(accusing others, accusing other Christian ministers just because their ministries and focus do not match)
• spirit of jealousy(material and spiritual jealousy especially when someone lower than our stature rises above us)
• spirit of pride(proud of one's caste, status, church membership, family background, spiritual accomplishments; not being able to accept correction especially from those of lower stature or age), spirit of lying(spontaneous lies, intentional lies to escape hard consequences)
• spirit of constant complaining and negativity – pessimism (complaining about the people around, the job, the past mistakes, the present situation, the odd climate, the government)
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•   spirit of pleasing people (to Please people by going to worldly functions even by skipping church, by helping people financially or materially with no actual intention of helping them but just to ensure that they are available to us for help at other times of our need, offerings given merely to please the pastor, praising someone just to get a favor out of them)
• spirit of idolatry(idols come in many forms - money, education system, wealth and property, famous worldly heroes and even spiritual leaders - anything that takes the importance that is due  only to God is an idol)
•   spirit of hypocrisy(back biting, two faced behavior)
•   spirit of petty pleasures(addictive shopping, mocking, addictions of all kinds)
•  spirit of fits of rage(sudden anger Which is often foolish, anger on someone shown on the innocent somebody else).

Freedom from all these spirits will be possible only by asking for GOD'S grace to overcome the temptations of these spirits and very importantly by staying out of contact with people possessing these worldly spirits. This is the reason Why God always insisted that the Israelites completely destroy every city before they capture it for themselves, so that they may not be tempted to follow the idols of that place.

Let us therefore present ourselves as HOLY sacrifices by living not by the worldly ways, but rather by “separation” from the world which brings us closer to God. Before making any decision or doing any activity, just question your intention behind that and find out whether you are being influenced by any of the worldly spirits. Avoid doing anything about which GOD'S spirit in you convicts you or the worldly spirits tempt you(I know it is easy-said-than-done since it is painful and has undesirable consequences - But that is what a sacrifice is all about!).

Let us prove our love to God on a daily basis by honoring God in our lives above all else even if it costs our time, energy, dignity, comfort or our life itself and be a pleasing aroma to our God!