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Tuesday
March 9, 2010
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Our
Reasonable Service
(Romans
12:1)
"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."
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The fruits
of righteousness are only obtained by the work of Christ on
Calvary. No matter how morally we are refined and are gifted
with the enlightenment of wisdom, the natural man is impotent
to produce that which the Holy Spirit can produce. The sacrifice
of Jesus upon Calvary atones and forgives the sin- curse ground
of our hearts and by the power of the indwelling Spirit of
God, conditions the soil of our hearts to bring forth peaceable
fruit of righteousness. In and of ourselves there is no righteousness,
but Christ enables the believer to put on righteousness as
a garment or vesture, by believing on Him unto salvation.
It is because that we are washed in the blood of Jesus by
baptism in His name that we are complete and filled with righteousness;
what the Law of God demanded of us we could not do otherwise
but by Jesus. It is here were must present our total being
unto God as a living sacrifice. However, what we offer to
God, should not only be hollowed or set apart, but it must
also be acceptable. Just because a thing is sanctified (set
apart) does not mean that it is sufficient. God's sacrifices
must be holy, for He is Holy, set apart exclusively for His
purpose and His purpose only. Therefore being living sacrifices
we ought to be holy, because He is holy. We should offer thanksgiving
to God in the name Jesus, making are offerings holy by the
blood of Jesus. We as believers believe in the Son, and God
is glorified in Him, so then everything that we do as servants
unto the Lord we do them by the authority and power given
to us by Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Considering all that
Christ accomplished in bringing to us this gift and privilege,
we should serve Him with our lives; it is the least that we
could do, and it is our reasonable service.
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Monday
March 8, 2010
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Spiritual
Sacrifice
Psalm
141:2
"Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."
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offer to God spiritual sacrifices when our lives are patterned
after Christ; when we are forever thankful for what He has done
for us, and in being grateful we live a life that is committed
to Him. Our praises glorify God, and we all have something to
give Him praise for. Our prayers are set before Him as a sweet
savor, and our worship goes up before Him continually. Our repentance
is a spiritual sacrifice as we render our hearts to God, by
the offering of the calves of our lips. When we glorify the
LORD's name among the unbeliever we magnify Him and offer sacrifices
unto His magnificent name. Without false pretense we worship
God in spirit and in truth. Our sacrifice of praise must be
divinely inspired rather than evoked by sensual human manipulation.
The sacrifice of the believer consists of the entire being of
the believer (mind, soul, and body). Our living sacrifice is
accomplish in our commitment to be transformed by the work of
the Holy Spirit, for Christ died for us that we which were dead
in sin are now made alive by His resurrection. Because He lives
I now have life, therefore the least I can do is to render my
life, my will to His plan. Spiritual sacrifices are contingent
upon the old nature of our belief system, which is primarily
in anything other than God, to die and be reborn in Christ Jesus,
not only in faith but also in action. Our sacrifices when properly
rendered will not reek of the stench of human inconsistency,
but rather be a sweet savor unto the LORD. It will be well pleasing
and acceptable. Regardless of what circumstance we find ourselves
in life we should continually worship God for His goodness to
us. |
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