Today I give my life afresh to you
Scripture: Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship”
Focus & Meaning: A Living Sacrifice = the entire person is consecrated and given to God.
On the first day of this fast - be encouraged to make this moment about committing your whole life to God again. This means to relinquish and voluntarily give up your self-will and let God take over.
Relinquish means to submit to the power, authority and control of another.
This is not a one time decision in our walk with Jesus. This is a daily decision of giving our whole selves back to Him.
Jesus was always creating space to surrender to His Father again. This is demonstrated in the Gospel of Mark.
It seems like almost every few verses in that book, you read something like: Jesus taking the disciples and going away into a secluded place: Jesus going up to a mountain alone to pray: Jesus spending all night alone in prayer to God, over and over. After ministry, after a big day, after a lot of excitement… Jesus went to surrender it all back to His Father.
What do we give to God today?
We bring our sin, sorry faults and failings to God.
We bring our disappointment and unmet expectations.
We bring our plans, gifts, aspirations and desires.
We bring our offences and frustrations.
We bring the opinions of others and pressures of this world.
Whatever takes root and we cannot drop, stop, or move anymore we become bound by those things. Those are the things we bring to Him.
But it’s not only the hard, broken things. We also bring our confidences, joys, and praise as peace offerings, to willingly share them with God, to thank Him and to continually submit them to Him, pointing the glory all the way back to Him.
Once we bring all of it to the altar, nothing is ours any longer.
Nothing can occupy our heart anymore; our conscience is at peace before God, and we can boldly say to Him, “I have not held back one thing from You.”
When we do this there is an exchange that takes place.
He exchanges our surrender, our sacrifice, and heartfelt commitment for more of his presence. He will unfold so much beauty to you. Hope. Joy. Peace. Renewed vision.
What better way to start this fast. An exchange. “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
Hmm very humbling.
At my age I'm thinking maybe I'm too old/ too late to start over again with God..having missed so many opportunities in response to prayer with God's 'anointing' to step-out for Jesus ..so to speak..over the past 40 or so year's.
Maybe this time I will 'make-the-grade'.Only God knows if I still have time to be a blessing for Him to other's including my family.. Immediate..as well as extended & to my friend's contacts' & The NLC Fellowship.