Living Sacrifice

I've been wrestling with Paul's encouragement that our lives are to be a "living sacrifice" to the Lord.  Those 2 words, living and sacrifice, just don't seem to go together at first, but it really begs us to pay attention to what Paul is saying in Romans 12:1.  "Sacrifice" is the noun that defines us.  We are called to give our lives in the same manner that Christ gave His life.  The idea of dying to self and to our selfish ways best embodies this act of sacrifice.  It's hard to say no to something so determined and defiant as our flesh.  Still we are challenged to sacrifice our will to the Father's.  "Living" is the adjective to describe us.  When we give our life as a sacrifice to Jesus, then we experience the power that raised Jesus from the dead and we are alive.  Philippians 3:10-11 Paul states,

                 "I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised 
                   Him from the dead.  I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death
                  so that one way or another I may experience  the resurrection 
                  from the dead."

It's by knowing Christ and His sufferings that we experience the power of the resurrection by the Holy Spirit.  We are not called just to know, but to experience God.  I want to know by experience not just by someone telling me.  Determine to live your life as a "living sacrifice" today and make yourself available to that mighty power that raises from the dead and causes us to live.