Living Sacrifices

"And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:2

When Christ sacrificed himself for us, he gave us a gift. He expected nothing in return, for we have nothing to give. He gave humbly and quietly, not drawing attention to himself, but to his heavenly father.

When we give sacrifices in our lives, we should follow Christ's example. The credit that we might get from the sacrifice should be directly given to the Father. When our hearts are right for the sacrifice we are giving, the fruit from it will be all the more bountiful.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24

While no sacrifice can ever compare to the magnitude and love of Christ's sacrifice, we can strive to be like him and sacrifice things in our lives for his sake. I challenge you, live out your faith. Sacrifice yourself for Jesus and be vulnerable. This is how faith grows in the Lord.

Romans 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."


-John Dockery

Why worry?

Worry. So much time in my life is spent in worry. Why do we worry? We worry because we try to pin all of our problems on ourselves. What can we do about these problems? Nothing.
What about this; what if there was someone that could take all of our problems and conquer them no matter what? What if there is a creator who loves us unconditionally and shows his mercy and grace in our lives daily? What if there was a God who gave his ONLY son so that we could spend eternity with him?
Christ says in his word," Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:25-26.
Stop right there. God cares about our problems? God doesn't just care about our problems, he wants to solve them and show his power in our lives.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22.
"So we can confidently say,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6.
Trust in the Lord. Give up your worries to God and he will surely bring peace that passes all understanding into your life. My life is definitely not an example of this concept, but the more I give up to God, the more I find he blesses me and uses his power to show how mighty he is. I am constantly humbled by how infinite His majesty is.

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all." 2 Thessalonians 3:16

-John Dockery