Present Your Bodies
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) We need not become experts in religion or ministry, but in exclusivity — that is, taking ourselves back from the world and from ourselves, that we might be able to offer our lives to God exclusively, which is the only reasonable thing for us to do. Therefore, we must first deny ourselves and lay down our rights before we have anything to offer the Lord at all. Truth is, some of us have so little to give, for our hearts and time are committed to a myriad of folks, causes, activities, affinities, and affections. And even so, we can convince ourselves that we are living for God. Help us, Lord! God has called us to live consecrated lives. A consecrated life is not an isolated life or a petted life, but a life set apart for the Lord's purpose. The Holy Spirit gives us the focus and...