Living 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

I have a friend who is incredibly benevolent and, since he is wealthy, he is constantly receiving request for assistance. Some of the requests are legitimate. Some of the appeals are not.

Personally, I am very careful not to visit him only when I need a favor from him. My focus often is to make a friendly visit to let him know I am interested in him and not just concerned about what he can do for me.

Consequently, if we are not careful, our relationship with God can be one directional. We can be into the getting from God, but not focused on giving to God.

Last week at our George-Greene Baptist Association Minister’s Conference, we discussed worship. Neil Wigley, Worship Pastor at Agricola Baptist, set the tone for our discussion when he stated, “Worship is giving to God.” We go to church to worship God and not to be entertained. For me, I always want to ask, “Was God pleased with me today?” The entertainment value of a worship service is of little importance.

Also, worship is not limited to a place. Worship is to be ongoing in the life of a Christian. Recorded in his Expository Dictionary, William D. Mounce defined worship as “the appropriate response of a believing heart that adores God.”

In Romans 12:1, Paul challenged the believers to present their “bodies” as a “living sacrifice.” The body represents every aspect of life, including the physical, spiritual, and intellectual. Give it all to God.

For Paul, this was the reasonable response. As it has been said, “If Jesus has died for me, the least I can do is live for Him.” British athlete C. T. Studd said, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.”

Finally, Paul closed the passage by saying presenting yourself to God is your “reasonable service.” In other words, daily surrender is your “spiritual worship.” Since Jesus was the final sacrifice for our sins, we do not have to come to God with a dead animal, but we do come with lives surrendered to Him.

The Lord Thunders

"The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters (Psalm 29:3 NKJV)."

It's 4:59 AM, and I can't sleep.

Thunder has been roaring for the last thirty minutes. The rain is heavy. I've checked the local radar and "red rain" is all around us. Jared, my five-year-old, is awake. He ate 5% of a bowl of cereal. Then, he requested a peanut butter roll-over. This is a strange time. The thunder is unsettling.

Last week a tornado touched down here in Greene County, just about 10 miles north of Leakesville. Yesterday, I talked with a lady who was in her home last week when the tornado touched down on her property. The winds from the tornado destroyed a large chicken house. Fortunately, no chickens were in the "house." She said, while the storm lasted only five minutes, she was terrified. The storm "jumped" her house and she was not hurt.

Many people state that a tornado sounds like a train, but she stated the tornado sounded more like a large diesel truck trying to start it's engine.

The scripture above states that the "God of glory thunders." Even now, as I hear thunder roaring in the distance, I am amazed by the power of the creator of the universe. The Bible frequently charges us to "fear the Lord." I don't believe this is a paralyzing kind of fear that we might have in the midst of tornadic winds, but it does entail a holy reverance.

Psalm 62:5 says, "My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him."

Silence is rare these days. For me, whenever traveling in my car I have to have the radio blaring. When in my bedroom by myself, I always have music playing. Silence makes us uncomfortable. Even now, as the air conditioner is blowing cool air on this unusually warm morning, the thunder in the distance is not as noticable.

God's voice thunders, but our busyness creates a static that keeps Him from being heard.

Last night, twenty ministers met at the George-Greene Association Building for a forum on worship. Tommy Mitchell, pastor of Agricola Baptist Church, has done an outstanding job of planning a series of monthly meetings for the ministers of the two counties.

As we discussed worship, the topic of various musical styles and instruments employed in worship was raised. We batted around the almost undefinable terms "traditional," "contemporary," and "blended" in relation to worship experiences at church.

One of the pastors, Roger Gilbert, made a great point. When we worship we may respond to God in song, but true worship does not begin with a song. Worship begins with the recognition we are in the presence of God. That realization should occur before we ever enter a church building. That realization can occur as we sit at our work station, on a deer stand, or during a morning walk. We must silence oursleves in order to hear God's thundering voice. God is everywhere. God is here.

As a pastor, the method or planned order of worship should not replace a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. I can't manufacture a worship experience. I believe the setting for corporate worship can provide an environment conducive to worship, but it's not as easy as opening a can and serving it. Unfortunately, many of us want microwavable services that you just pop in the oven and "get 'r done" with little inconvenience. However, worship is an every day priority that should be in a slow cooker.

“But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him. (Habakkuk 2;20).”

So, let us shut up, stop, and listen to God. Don't be afraid of silence. Be afraid of making so much noise that you cannot His "thundering" voice.