 Paul urged us to offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1. What does it mean and why should we?
The term “living sacrifice” seems to be an oxymoron. In the Old Testament, once offered, the sacrifice would be reduced to ashes. How could a sacrifice be living? Paul’s idea could be giving ourselves, as a living being, totally to God. We don’t belong to ourselves anymore. Instead, we belong to God. Some live for their independence. They are the boss. No one could tell them what to do. Some live for their spouse, children, career, money, fame, or power. These objects become their worship, controlling them. They live for, and sacrifice themselves to, these objects. Paul urged us to live for God and sacrifice ourselves to Him. Why should we? First, we should because of God’s love for us. Romans 12:1. Christ voluntarily laid down His life for us. No one forced Him to do it. John 10:17. In Gethsemane, Christ had a foretaste of the impending suffering. Yet, He still followed through. Second, God is infinitely wise. He knows what is best for us, much more than we do. Thus, we should follow His guidance. Sometimes short-term outcomes don’t make sense. We need to trust Him. In a certain way, this is similar to drawing a flower using the right side of the brain. If we use this approach, when we try to mimic the outlines of the flower, some of the strokes may not make sense at the time of drawing. But if we just follow accurately what we see, at the end, all the strokes will come together to reproduce the picture of the flower. If we follow God’s guidance, He would be responsible for the outcome. We could rest in Him. In conclusion, because of God’s love and His infinite wisdom, we should live as if we belong to God. Follow Him, let Him take charge, and live for Him! Summarized from a Tim Keller sermon. https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/everyone-with-a-gift-6892/ 为什么要把自己奉献给上帝？ 保罗敦促我们将自己奉献给上帝，如活着的祭物 (罗马书12：1)。这是什么意思，为什么要这么做？ “活着的祭物”似乎是一种矛盾。在旧约中，一旦献上，祭品将化为灰烬。它如何还能活着？ 保罗的意思可能是将自己, 一个活生生的人, 完全奉献给上帝。我们不再属于自己。 相反，我们属于上帝。 有些人为自己的独立而活。他们是老板。没有人能告诉他们应该怎么做。有些人为了配偶，子女，朋友, 职业，金钱，名望或权力而活。这些成为他们的偶像, 控制了他们。他们为这些偶像而活, 牺牲了自己。 保罗敦促我们为上帝而活，向祂牺牲自己。 为什么呢？ 首先，我们应该这样做因为神对我们的爱 (罗马书12：1)。 基督自愿为我们舍命。没有人强迫祂去做 （约翰福音10:17）。在客西马尼园，基督看到了即将来临的痛苦。然而，基督仍然献出了自己。 第二，上帝是无限的智慧。祂比我们更知道什么是对我们最好。因此，我们应该遵循智慧神的指导。有时我们不能理解暂时的情况，但我们依然需要信赖上帝。 在某种程度上，这类似使用右脑来画一朵花。如果我们使用这种方法绘画, 当我们尝试模仿画花的线条时, 笔触或许有时觉得不对。但是，如果我们只准确地遵循我们所看到的而画，那么最后，所有的笔触都将会融合一起, 变成一朵花的图片。 如果我们遵循神的指导, 祂会对结果负责。我们可以在祂里面休息。 最后总结，在上帝的爱和无限智慧推动下，我们应该生活得好像我们属于上帝一样。跟随祂, 让祂掌管，为祂而活! Comments are closed.
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