Sacrifice

DEVOTION
ROMANS
SACRIFICE

Rom 12:1-2
12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
NIV
To be a living sacrifice, just what does that mean? I can see it certainly includes being holy and pleasing God, but is there something else which is implied? I must know what it means to either be a sacrifice or to commit the act of sacrifice in order for me to better understand. Am I the living victim, or am I the one offering a victim? Maybe I am the one offering myself which would mean I am both. I must sacrifice myself; I must slaughter myself in a sense. Kill my “self” and present it to God as a sacrifice. But not actually dying, but do it in a way that I have put to death the old self because of the mercy of God and live in a manner that I set myself apart from that old nature, that old self and live in a morally pure and blameless condition which is pleasing to God. I can certainly attest to the fact that my old nature wanted to please the self in me rather than anyone else, much less God. That old self was without question conformed to the pattern of the world. It is not easy to remove myself from the pattern. The old ways are there, begging and pleading for me to return. The only way I am successful is not returning, is to allow this transformation and renewing of my mind to become complete. It is my choice to be transformed, to be renewed in my thinking, and to pattern myself after Jesus rather than after the world. Yet, why do I still fail? Why do I still have feelings and emotional failures? It is a battle, a war that wages within. The old self fights hard to regain control, but He that is within me is stronger then he who is in the world. God is my strength, my fortress, my shield, my banner, my ever present help in trouble. It is still I who must do commit the act of sacrifice, but it is He who will give me the power to do it.