SET APART FOR HIM
Scripture Reading: Romans 12:1-5
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. - Romans 12:1
When you give up something precious or valuable for the sake of a better cause or a higher authority, it constitutes a sacrifice. In a sacrifice, we relinquish something or surrender it totally. An animal that is sacrificed is slaughtered for a cause. The admonition in Romans 12:1 to present our bodies as a living sacrifice is not an invitation to kill ourselves for God. It is a call to sanctification. To sanctify is to set ourselves apart for God and be conformed to the image of Christ.
When something is set apart for someone, it is reserved for their exclusive use. In a king's palace, there is often a throne that is set apart for him. No one else sits on it. It is constantly cleaned and kept in readiness for the king. This is what sanctification implies. God wants to transform us into the express image of Christ. He wants us to set ourselves apart for Him. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour."
Sanctification is not optional. It is God's will for us. It is not an instant change but a lifetime process. We will continually be perfected until the day of Christ's return. Allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen you to hold on to God's word, resist temptation and live for His glory.
Prayer: Lord, I dedicate my thoughts, choices and actions to You. Set me free from sinful desires.
When you give up something precious or valuable for the sake of a better cause or a higher authority, it constitutes a sacrifice. In a sacrifice, we relinquish something or surrender it totally. An animal that is sacrificed is slaughtered for a cause. The admonition in Romans 12:1 to present our bodies as a living sacrifice is not an invitation to kill ourselves for God. It is a call to sanctification. To sanctify is to set ourselves apart for God and be conformed to the image of Christ.
When something is set apart for someone, it is reserved for their exclusive use. In a king's palace, there is often a throne that is set apart for him. No one else sits on it. It is constantly cleaned and kept in readiness for the king. This is what sanctification implies. God wants to transform us into the express image of Christ. He wants us to set ourselves apart for Him. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour."
Sanctification is not optional. It is God's will for us. It is not an instant change but a lifetime process. We will continually be perfected until the day of Christ's return. Allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen you to hold on to God's word, resist temptation and live for His glory.
Prayer: Lord, I dedicate my thoughts, choices and actions to You. Set me free from sinful desires.
