Day 19

An Acceptable Sacrifice

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

Sacrifice 1)Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim 2)To forfeit (one thing) for another thing considered to be of greater value.

In other words, we are being told to give up one thing (ourselves) for someone who is greater than ourselves (God).  When you step back and see the big picture, it is easier to fight for your goals.  You see, it is not about us.  It is not about you wearing size 6 clothes, or being able to impress someone at a high school reunion.  Sure those things are great, but it’s much more than that.  It’s about using our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice.

So what does than mean?  It means you take the body you have been blessed with, and show God how much you respect his workmanship by taking care of it the best you know how.  It means giving up a few things and replacing them with things of greater value and importance.  It means letting go of your food idolatry and worshipping the Lord.

This is not intended to condemn you.  I simply want you to see this important truth: your body is not your own.  It was bought with a high price.  You have been given this body to do God’s work.  He has a plan for you.  If you are to carry out this plan you will need endurance, patience, strength, and discipline.  There is no better place to start applying those qualities than on yourself.

Now don’t get all worked up.  God is not asking for perfection.  You do not need to give up everything you like and enjoy (unless He asks you to).  You simply need to make sure you are in balance.  You need to make sure your priorities are in order.

 It’s easy to put food on the top of your list of priorities without even realizing it.  Ask yourself a few questions.  When you are stressed who do you turn to?  Do you turn to God, or Ben and Jerry?   What would be easier to give up: your devotional time, or your coffee?  If you had an extra hour in your day would you watch Desperate Housewives, or go for a walk?  I’m not saying you have to give up all these things (though I do have my opinions about them), I am simply asking you to take a look at which ones would be more difficult for you to give up. 

Though we don’t like to admit it, for many of us the thought of giving up sugar, caffeine, or our “guilty pleasures” sounds like torture.  You should read some of my journals from when I would start a sugar fast.  You would think someone was pulling out my fingernails as the burned my house down and kidnapped my children.  I’m not kidding.  Giving up sugar has been way harder than giving up smoking, alcohol, and gambling combined!  So again, I beg you, do not let any guilt or condemnation creep in.  Simply take a look at your priorities.  Is your flesh getting all the attention?  Are you babying it and giving it what it wants?  Instead give it what it needs.  Not only will you succeed in your weight loss efforts, more importantly you will be worshipping the Lord!

Dear Heavenly Father, I confess food has become a priority in my life.  I ask you to help me see where I have put my love of food above my love of you.  I want to change that.  Please give me the courage to say no to the things that are preventing my body from being a holy an acceptable sacrifice to you.  I love you and worship you Lord.  Please help me to make choices in my life that will show how much I love you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen