Living sacrifice

Maybe, today, there’s a sense of relief that you got through the week! Relax, God is faithful. He knows exactly how it’s been: the busy schedule, the pressure, the times when we got it wrong or felt let down. He understands the sense of loneliness or loss, or that fear of not having enough. The truth is that life is seldom straight forward.

I want to encourage you that you do not have to go it alone. Church is called to be the greatest resource of acceptance, grace, love and unity, cheering each other on as we seek to emulate our amazing saviour, Jesus Christ. Church should be the most incredible body of people, welcoming and befriending the ‘whosoever’ and showing the love of Jesus, not just on a Sunday but also during the challenges of the week. I don’t think that we can live authentically as a Christian from within a comfort zone.

I’ve always been challenged by the words of Romans 12:1, ‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices.’ A sacrificial life implies that we will not have it easy; that we are to prefer others rather than ourselves and step out of the rut. Most importantly, a life of sacrifice points us in the direction of the cross and the one who is our life’s example and our eternal hope.