Who am I? What do I stand for? Who do I live for? Whom do I please?
The simple answer is found in: JESUS CHRIST.
"And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him." - Romans 12:1
How many times a day do we look at ourselves and wish we could change a part of our body? How many times a day do we find ourselves on our camera taking pictures of our best features and posting them to gain affirmation and acceptance? How often do we think negative thoughts about who we are and wish to change ourselves?
But I ask you, dear brother or sister... how many times a day do you pray and thank God for the life He has given you? How many times a day do you look to others and ask God how you can reveal Jesus to them? How often do you fall on your knees and worship God for what Jesus did by giving His life for you?
As a daughter born into a Christian family, my journey with Christ feels like it has been through many ups and downs, but recently I have fully understood what it really means to live a life through Jesus. What does this mean?
Paul never used to be Paul, and he was a man that persecuted the church before God delivered him to become one of the greatest apostles of Christ that walked the earth. His whole life did a full 180 degree turn-around when He made the choice to live for Jesus. Here in Romans 12, Paul talks about us believers living our lives as a sacrifice to God.
As Christians, we have accepted Jesus to be the Lord and Saviour of our lives, but does this just happen once and then we continue living in default, or does this happen every single day when we wake up? The latter, right?
So living a life as a sacrifice to God is the best way to live and the only way to live here on earth. This living is giving up ourselves and allowing Jesus to be revealed through us and within us. Finding fulfilment is only found through JESUS. As believers we shine the glory of Jesus to others and we are His instruments He uses on this earth, we have to make it a full way of living unto God and we owe Him this much!
1 Corinthians 8 is a chapter Paul talks about idolatry and eating food offered to idols. When reading this and comparing it to the present, I realised that the idol that the world worships nowadays is themselves. Yes, in other religions physical idols and gods are worshipped, but the biggest idol of them all is themselves. Their bodies and flesh are worshipped and their status and wealth are their livelihood. Is this you? Our whole entire faith is based on the language everyone knows in which God has spoken to us through - that is LOVE. This relationship then - not religion - is built upon what Jesus Christ did for us and is still doing through us. 1 Corinthians 8:6 says, "But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for Him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom God made everything and through Whom we have been given life."
God created everything through His Son, Jesus. We have been given life through Jesus because of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, taking every sin upon Himself, and resurrecting from death to give us a new life in Him and an eternal life with Him. Hallelujah!
So, who am I? I am a daughter of a living God who loves me and gave Himself for me. I died to myself and have been made new through Jesus' blood that has set me free!
What do I stand for? I stand for Jesus Christ, I stand for the Cross, I stand for the Word of God and I stand in righteousness with God because of what Jesus did for me.
Who do I live for? I live for Jesus Christ as I am no longer a part of this world, but a part of His Kingdom. It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20). My life is hidden in Jesus who Is my life and is revealed to the whole world as I share in all His glory. My sinful nature has been put to death on the cross and my new nature has been resurrected to life as I become more like Jesus and wait upon His return to be unified with Him again. (Colossians 3)
Whom do I please? I please God by living through Him as I please others by helping them do what is right and by building them up in the Lord.
I encourage you to live your life as a holy, pure and beautiful sacrifice unto God. Let the Holy Spirit guide your life and you will not fall into sin. Do not set your eyes on earthly things, like vanity, immorality and self-betterment plans. But set your eyes on JESUS, on things above for our lives here on earth is just a blip compared to eternity with Him. Build your life upon His love and reveal Him to others - the glory of God is what counts, not your likes and comments on Instagram.
Jesus is so beautiful, loving, amazing and complete - if He lives in us then that means we are all those things, and more, too! Amen.
"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." 1 Corinthians 16:58
Today, make the choice to live as a living sacrifice to God and decide to stick to it. You were made to experience His love and you were worth dying for! How amazing and loving is our God. Thank you Lord for being so good to us even when we do not deserve it! May Your Name be exalted forever and ever! AMEN.
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