FAITHFULWORD.ORG | TEACHINGS

John 15:13; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; Matthew 16:24, 25; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 7:22; I Thessalonians 1:1-10; I Peter 4:1-10; Ephesians 2:1; John 12:24-26; I Corinthians 9:27; John 15:13; Matthew 20:28; I Timothy 6:7; John 13:34; 15:4

To present our bodies a living sacrifice, we humble ourselves before God, making Him our focus. In doing so, we are deny our own will. Thus we seek God’s will and guidance so that we can be drawn closer to His heart. As we die to self and live spiritually, we can live as God defines love — to live by freedom of will the life God would have us to live, our will being transformed to His will, dying to our earthly nature, thinking and worldly lusts, and replacing that nature with our new nature in Christ.

In the context of being a living sacrifice, we are looking at works, not in light of achieving salvation, but in light of the salvation we have already received. Our goal is to present our lives a living sacrifice so that God can direct and guide. Jesus Christ is the ultimate example in demonstrating sacrifice, not only by his death on the cross, but by his daily life as chronicled in the gospels. He always did the will of the Father.

When Jesus taught his disciples, he said in Matthew that “if any man will come after me, let him deny himself…” He was instructing them that they must leave their old ways in order to truly follow him and do the will of the Father as he did.

Thessalonians speaks of how the Word of God came in word and deed. Paul is a wonderful example of a man who not only spoke the Word of God, but lived it by his example. He rejoiced how the Thessalonians became followers of him and of the Lord to the point that they were examples to those in Macedonia and Achaia. The circle began with Jesus who followed God, then to Paul who followed and believed Jesus, then to the Thessalonians who followed and believed Paul to the end the Thessalonians were examples of those to Macedonia and Achaia who followed God and Jesus.

We are to prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We do so but ridding ourselves of our old ways and putting on the new ways of Christ. God made us alive and gave us a new life not because we deserved it but because He wanted to. For a seed to grow and replenish, it must first die. We must die to our will and live to the will of God so we can produce much fruit.

Paul speaks in Corinthians of how he kept his body under subjection so his preaching would not be in vain. We must live our new life in Christ to produce fruit, not just preach it. A life of service is what is left when we present our bodies a living sacrifice. God wants us to minister and serve. We must have a love for people and minister to them, so they also may die to self, spring up and bear much fruit! Jesus Christ is our great example.