‘You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’ 1 Peter 2:5 (NIV).
To be identified as Christ’s living stones means that we are in union with Him and share His nature. The divine nature of the Living Stone Himself. As living stones, we have the breath and power of the Spirit dwelling within us. The same spirit that gave life to Christ’s body in the tomb and rose Him in power to life again. It is this same Spirit pulsating through us that enables us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to the acceptance of God through Jesus Christ.
When sacrificing an animal according to God’s law, a priest would kill the animal, cut it in pieces and place it on the altar. Today God requires the sacrifice of our heart to Him. Our desires, goals, affections and indeed our will, become the living sacrifice that God looks for.
Obedience from the heart is what God desires as He says in 1 Samuel 15:22, ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.’
A sacrifice in Old Testament times was a ritual transaction between a person and God that physically demonstrated the relationship between them. But if the sacrifice was offered and the person’s heart was not truly repentant or if the person did not truly love God, the sacrifice was a hollow ritual. God placed greater important on the state of the heart, not the sacrifice itself.
Prayer:
‘Lord, thank you that I share in your divine nature through the Spirit living within me. Help me to place into your hands whatever holds my heart apart from you. Lord I want to become completely obedient to you.’
In Jesus’ Mighty Name,
AMEN!
Final Thoughts:
Living stones have sacrificed their heart to God. As living stones, we lay aside our own desires and follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting His Spirit to guide us. What is the condition of our heart today?
What stands in the way of us giving ourselves as living sacrifices to God? Let’s take an honest look at where our affections and desires really lay and determine to give all to our Heavenly Father.
Be Greatly Blessed!
