Paul

December 1

Romans 12:1-3

A living sacrifice

Paul’s letter to the Romans continued as he wrote: “Dear brothers, because God has been so merciful to us, give yourselves as a living sacrifice to Him by being completely dedicated to Him and wanting to please Him. This is the kind of worship you should offer to God.

Don’t copy the behaviour of godless people, but be a new and different person on the inside by thinking thoughts that are good and pure. Then you will know exactly what God wants you to do; what is good and what pleases Him.

Don’t think of yourselves more highly than you should, but be honest and humble in the way you see yourself. Rather measure yourself by the amount of faith God has given you.”

Do we still need to offer sacrifices to God?

In Old Testament times (before Jesus came), God allowed people to kill an animal and put it on an altar as a sacrifice for their sin. The sacrifice had to be perfect—without a single spot or fault. But this sacrifice was only a sign pointing to the day when Jesus would give His life as the real Sacrifice. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead, His sacrifice was enough to pay for the sins of the whole world, which means that we do not need to offer animals for the forgiveness of our sins.

However, there is an offering that we should bring to God every day: a sacrifice of praise for His mercy. By allowing God to be in control of our lives, we are offering ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice! And although we are not perfect (as a sacrifice should be) God is pleased to accept us because Jesus has made us pure and blameless!

Verse for today

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:15