Your Daily Devotional for May 4, 2006

May 4, 2006

 

A Living Sacrifice
by Dr. Paul Chappell

 “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 

 

Our human nature rebels at the word sacrifice.  We love ourselves too much to give something up to please God.  We’re fine with being a Christian as long as our faith does something for us, but when it demands that we give something, our flesh resists.

 

We often convince ourselves that going to church, reading our Bible, or going soul winning is a real sacrifice of time and energy.  And indeed, sometimes it is, but when it is compared to “the mercies of God” it pales quickly.  You see, Paul in our text admonishes us to give our lives to God based on His mercies.  When we pause to reflect on what Christ has done for us, no sacrifice seems too great to make for Him.

 

Dr. James Ray, in his book “Incredible Journey” tells of an exhibition in Riga, Latvia that he attended.  On display were various items that were connected with the underground church during the former Communist regime.  These items had been gathered from those Christians, most still alive, who had suffered imprisonment, beatings and persecution.  In display case after display case laid a story of love and devotion to Jesus Christ.

 

A lady named Ilva was showing Dr. Ray some of the articles and took him to where a simple towel lay folded with a picture of a little girl placed on top.  The towel, placed on the base of the doorway leading downstairs, was the signal that business in that room was underway.  Looking down at the picture, Ilva said:  “That little girl stood watch for those secret makers of the Bible – I was that little girl.”  Her eyes drifted to another display which had one of Spurgeon’s entire books beautifully printed by hand.  Spurgeon’s book lay on top of scores of other hand printed religious books representing thousands of hours of intense labor in dark secret rooms.

 

Pointing to a picture of a house, Ilva said:  “In this house many people were discovered and arrested.  There were no Bibles, or Bible study books, or choruses.  All such materials were illegal.”  As she picked up another picture, she said:  “This is a picture of my grandmother.  She hand-copied 150 books.”

 

Dr. Ray goes on to tell about Marija Gorska, who recently died in 1995.  Her hands were almost paralyzed from disease.  She bound up her fingers with cellophane tape to hold them steady and on a primitive typewriter pecked out 56 books.

 

Your journey today may be difficult and the cost may seem more than you can bear.  But take courage from these who have gone before us bearing their cross.  The Apostle Paul tells of his infirmity of the flesh in his second letter to the Corinthians.  He refers to that thorn in his flesh as a “messenger of Satan to buffet me.”  In chapter twelve and verse eight, he passionately writes:  “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.   And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:  for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake:  for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

 

By God’s grace, our weaknesses become strengths that enable us to serve our Saviour.  The next time God asks you to make a sacrifice, don’t resist, but rather embrace the opportunity to be used of God in some greater way.  I love the words to this old song:

 

“Oh Lord, since Thou hast died, to give Thyself for me.  No sacrifice would be too great for me to make for Thee.  Lord, send me anywhere.  Only go with me.  Lay any burden on me, only sustain me.  Sever any tie, save the tie that binds me to thy heart.  Lord Jesus, my King, I sacrifice my life Lord for Thee.”

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