"Present Yourself"

"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." Romans 12:1

In the Old Testament God required that the priests bring Him a sacrifice and place it on the altar. They could not just bring any sacrifice. They could not go out and get the one that they wanted to bring to God. They had to bring the one that He had required, otherwise He would not accept it.

While the command to bring a bull, a goat, a lamb, etc. has changed, the requirements for the sacrifice have not. God still has a sacrifice that He will accept and one that He won't.

The Bible says that we are now the sacrifices- "living sacrifices". The question is, "Are we presenting ourselves to Him in a manner which is acceptable or unacceptable?" There are a lot of people within the church who are bringing the Lord the kind of sacrifice that they want to bring Him. They present themselves to Him through religious behavior. They present themselves to Him through lips that are full of pride, lies or profanity. They present themselves through their "talk" about Him, instead of personal knowledge of Him. They present themselves through religious behavior, and they even present themselves through a sinful lifestyle. Even though they are "presented" to God, these are still unacceptable sacrifices.

There is one sacrifice that He requires and that's a "holy" sacrifice. Does your life represent one of "holiness"? Are you being a holy sacrifice? Do you worship the Lord in spirit and in truth? Do you give Him the glory, honor, reverence and respect that He deserves? Are you patterning your life after Jesus' example? Are you following His commandments and desiring to line your life up with them? Are you allowing the word of God to transform you? Are you having communion and fellowship with the Lord on a daily basis? Do you give Him first place in your life, relinquishing control to Him? Are you seeking to do His will and not your own?

One of two things happen when we present ourselves as those living sacrifices to God- He will either accept it or reject it. I don't know about you, but I want Him to accept mine. Therefore, I must make sure that I am living in a manner that pleases Him.... and it will be.

Have a great day. What type of living sacrifice are you? A holy, acceptable one?