A Sacrifice Should Be “A Sacrifice.”

“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)

A familiar verse. But a sacrifice is not a sacrifice unless it costs us something. David sinned in numbering the people and was told to offer a sacrifice in the threshing floor.

Or Ornan the Jebusite. Ornan offered King David both the place and the oxen as a gift. A present fit for a king!

King David said to Ornan, “Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.” (1 Chronicles 21:24)

Too much service today is just the leftovers and what does not conflict or interfere with our goals or plans. We have been called unto liberty, but we should not use our liberty as an occasion to satisfy our flesh. We also have liberty to deny ourselves things that are good but interfere with things that are of greater value. It boils down to priorities! There should be true spirit of sacrifice in our service to the Lord, to our local churches, and to others for the cause of God’s work.

By the way, “the place” of David’s sacrifice was Mount Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1) where Abraham was to offer Isaac who was a type of Christ, offering “himself” (Genesis 22:8) at Calvary as a sacrifice to God the Father for all mankind. May we have a true spirit of “sacrifice” for the truth of God’s Word and the ministry He has given us! It is our reasonable service!

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Philippians 4:5-8; Ephesians 5:2)