The Daily Word of Righteousness

Presenting Our Body a Living Sacrifice, continued

He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. He is to slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and then Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar. He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. (Leviticus 1:4-9—NIV)

Remember, the burnt offering was not an offering for sin. Its purpose was to show the devotion of the worshiper. It was an act of worship, a desire to please God.

Notice (above) that the Israelite slaughtered his own bull and then skinned it and arranged and washed the pieces. The worshiper performed part of the service and the sons of Aaron performed their part.

All of it was to be burned on the altar. Paul tells us that our entire natural man, our adamic nature, is to be crucified with Christ in order that the sin in us may be destroyed.

There is a tremendous lesson here. We Christians look to God to carry a greater part of the service than He is willing to perform. There are things we have to do.

We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. God is not going to do this for us. We have to slaughter our bull, arrange the pieces on the fire, the head and the fat (our carnal mind and fleshly, lustful nature), and wash the inner parts and legs (our heart and our walk with God) with the water of the Word.

We are to make sure we are not conformed to the pattern of this world. God will not do this for us. We have to turn away from the worldly media and entertainment.

It is up to us to make certain we are being transformed by the renewing of our mind in His Word. God is not going to read the Bible to us.

God always stands ready to help us when we call on Him for advice and strength. But we have to make the effort to seek God.

"You will find Me when you look for Me with all your heart."

How many Christians drift through life, never growing in the ability to choose the good and reject the evil? They may attend church for fifty years and never grow an inch spiritually. At seventy they are still the same person they were at twenty. Why is this?

It does not help that the churches are preaching grace, grace, grace, rapture, rapture, rapture. These are candy the way they are preached. There is no nutrition for people to grow on and so they continue as adult babies.

What is the key to growth? What chemical triggers spiritual growth? What catalyst is missing?

The missing chemical is death with Christ and life with Christ. We are not teaching the people to count themselves dead, to really count themselves dead! We are not teaching the people to offer their body as a living sacrifice, a whole burnt offering, to really offer their body as a living sacrifice, a whole burnt offering!

To be continued.