Give Irrationally!
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
to God, which is your reasonable service."
Romans 12: 1
Sacrifice always involves loss of some kind,
like when we sacrifice our time or money.
But such a sacrifice is not a total loss.
We don’t give up all our time or money; there is
always more available to
replace what was lost.
The notion of sacrifice in Scripture had a more
ominous meaning.
In the Old Testament, when an animal was sacrificed
on the altar, it was a total loss. The life of the animal
was extinguished. Yes, there were more
animals in
one’s flock, but for the animal that died, everything
was taken.
It was this kind of sacrifice that Paul had in mind when
he implored Christians to willingly present themselves
as sacrifices to God.It's the kind of life Paul described
for himself in Philippians 3:7-14. He considered his life
before Christ as nothing going forward. He lived only
for Christ.
Living sacrifices can be tempted to crawl off the altar.
Consider yourself today to be dead to self and alive
for the glory of Christ.
"Sacrifice without
obedience is sacrilege."
William Gurnall