A Living SacrificeSample

"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (Romans 12:3 ESV)

One of the first things we learn in this new life of living according to God’s will rather than our own, is that it’s not about us. Remember, a sacrifice is dead. Rick Warren wrote a very popular book The Purpose Driven Life back in the 90’s and the first line is this: “God has a purpose for your life, and it’s not about you.” But you know, this is very difficult. One of my friends said he prays this prayer, “Lord, I know I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.”

We were all born into sin with a selfish nature. From the very beginning, as babies, it’s all about us. We are hungry and cry. Our diaper needs to be changed, so we cry. As we get a little older, we throw fits when we don’t get our way. And as our parents try to help raise us, either they encourage us so much that we start believing life is all about us and our talents and dreams, or they neglect us to the point where we develop a wounded survival mentality that is all about fighting for what we can achieve for ourselves. All of this is part of the broken world in which we live.

But for the living sacrifice, the one who is surrendered and whose perspective is being transformed, humility comes. Again, if we have sacrificed our old life, the old life and ways should be dead. But as one commentator said, “The thing about a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar.” It might be funny if it were not so true.

Let me tell you this. One of the biggest enemies to your life as a humble follower of Christ is this: PRIDE. Proverbs 16:18 (NIV) says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” I’ve seen many gifted, wonderful people lose their ministry platforms and get de-railed from God’s plans for their lives because of pride. So if it’s true that a living sacrifice can crawl off the altar, it means we need to come to the altar and die each day to our sin nature, and especially pride.