Offering...

Offering…

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service..” (Romans 12:1)

I don’t think there is one of us that would jump to say our body is ‘holy’.

But the ‘therefore’ of verse 1 refers back to the preceding 11 chapters of Paul’s message in the book of Romans.

Paul wrote those chapters explaining about the situation of all humans, our ruined condition….and God’s rescue.

We often jump right to the ‘duty’, right to what we should ‘offer’….and never really come to understand the doctrine taught…. that HE is the one that makes our bodies holy.

Nothing I can ever do or not do will make me holy. Not one single thing or a hundred things….

If God places me in His Son, I am holy….


Not because of things I eliminate…
Not because of words I don’t say anymore or places I don’t go anymore…..
Not because of any kind of behavior modification.

The “therefore” of verse 1 is a first step…a first choice to finding God’s will and walking in it……….walking behind His Son Jesus, Whom we follow.

Choosing to do that is really the only thing we have to offer God. He created every single thing that is a reality to you and I. Nothing of that is really mine, I have nothing He has not provided.

The paper (money) that we lay in the offering plate is just a tool that WE have devised to USE what HE has given us in the first place.

The only value it has to Him is the attitude of our hearts when we offer it back to Him. We either offer it freely and with joy, or out of meaningless duty.

Is our money all we offer Him?

During this season of Christmas, we hear songs about the wise men bringing gifts to the infant Jesus.

I’m sure those valuable gifts came in handy to two poor parents, displaced from their homes, separated from family and support systems. The gift was valueable, and the gift was used.

But I wonder what a big smile it brought to God’s heart to have these ‘wise men’ travel such distance, just to meet Immanuel, “God With Us”.

The priority was to find The Promised One. The offerings were the least of it I think…the true gifts they brought were within. The worship of the newly born King of Kings.

What do you understand about what He has given you?

“The One who is highly honored lives forever. His name is holy. He says, "I live in a high and holy place. But I also live with anyone who turns away from his sins. I live with anyone who is not proud. I give new life to him. I give it to anyone who turns away from his sins. (Isa. 57:15)


What do you bring Him this morning?

A little of your money?

An hour or two of your time?


“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit…. a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”(Ps. 51:17)

Living sacrifices…..

I am a living sacrifice. Are you?

Like me, do you have a tendancy to squirm around on the altar? Like me, do you regularly climb off?


This morning, I bring an offering of worship to my King. No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing, Jesus may You receive the honor that You’re due…Oh Lord, I bring an offering to You.

Favored...

Favored…

Mary was highly favored. She was chosen to be the birth mother of deity. Probably in her teens, an angel appeared to her to give her the incredible news.

I haven’t seen an angel (that I know of…).

But I’ve been given some incredible news.

“….He hath made me accepted..” (Eph.1:6 KJV, personalized by me)

Both ‘highly favored’ and ‘accepted’ are translated from the same original word ‘charitoo’.


I am highly favored.

Mary received the Seed of God into herself.

I have received the Spirit of God into myself. I am not His mother, He is my Father. I do not share my human condition with Him, He shares His perfect holiness with me.



“When I believed, he marked me with a seal. The seal is the Holy Spirit that He promised.”(2Timothy 1:14 personalized by me)

“ The Spirit marks me as God's own…”(Eph. 1:14 personalized by me)

“ He has given me the Holy Spirit as a down payment. The Spirit makes me sure of what is still to come…”(2Cor. 5:5 personalized by me)


I’m not a god, and I’m certainly not God. I’m not an angel, and I’m not perfect.

But I am a child of The Most High God.

I will “ Guard the truth of the good news that I was trusted with. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in me…”(2Tim. 1:14 personalized by me)


“I know the One I have believed in. I am sure He is able to take care of what I have given Him. I can trust Him with it until the day He returns as judge. I will follow what I heard as the pattern of true teaching. Follow it with faith and love because I belong to Christ Jesus.”(2 Tim. 1:12-14 personalized by me)

I am highly favored.

Hallelujah.

Lyrics...

Lyrics…
“….while mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wandering love…”

Another beautiful Christmas carol…angels hovering over the Christ child. The Holy One Himself, dressed in human infant flesh.

Angels are not at our disposal. They can be, and are, sent by God to minister to us, but only to serve His purposes and carry out His will. Certainly not ours.

I’ve had reason to look at some facts about angels this past week. I’m really glad I’m not an angel.

Angels obviously can choose poorly. “ …. the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home….”(Jude 1:6)

“God did not spare angels when they sinned. Instead, he sent them to hell. He put them in dark prisons. He will keep them there until he judges them.” (2Peter 2:4)

But there is no offer of redemption to them. Satan and his rebellious group were cast out. There is no Savior to angels.

Jesus stepped out of His deity within the Godhead, not to become an angel. He didn’t enter into the angelic realm, angels can’t reproduce. There are no baby angels.

But God’s created humanity procreates, and He chose to birth Himself into our race, become like us, to live the perfect life that we forfeited in The Garden incident.

He lived the perfect life that I can not, because of the sin nature passed on to me from my ancestors. He shares in my heritage thru His mother’s blood, formed in her womb, birthed from her body.

All humans ”…. have bodies made out of flesh and blood. So Jesus became human like them in order to die for them. By doing that, he could destroy the one who rules over the kingdom of death. I'm talking about the devil. Jesus could set people free who were afraid of death. All their lives they were held as slaves by that fear. It is certainly Abraham's children that he helps. He doesn't help angels. So he had to be made like his brothers in every way.”(Hebrews. 2:14-17)

I wonder if angels die. I wonder why it is that in scripture, when they manifest themselves, they are always portrayed as men, never female, and why we always see feminine figurines or pictures. I wonder what things they ‘long to look into’ (1 Peter 1:12) I wonder what they will be judged about, and what it will be like to judge them…because “ Don't you know that we will judge angels?” 1Cor.6:3)

I wonder lots…..we aren’t told lots. Just enough to make me really glad I’m not an angel. ….I know, I know…. you all already knew I’m not one…)

Wish list, calmness...

I wish to be calm.

Listening to the well known Christmas carole, “Silent Night” makes me wish to always be calm.
Oh, I like a little excitement sometimes. (…never, ever, however, drama !!)



There is just nothing that will ever replace a calm heart. Nothing compares to a rest filled spirit.

I’ve been occupied today with a word study about ‘rest’.

God has made it possible for me to be calm….He has provided the possibility of rest.

For me, and for all believers. For you if you choose to receive it…



I sit at His feet, and know calmness.

“…all is calm…”

I feast on His recorded Word and get new glimpses of His majesty.

“…glory streams, from heaven afar…”

I revel in His love for me, His forever outstretched Hand, even in the face of my sin and imperfection.

“…with the dawn of redeeming grace…”



“Christ, my Savior, is born…”

Wishes, discernment....

I wish to be more discerning.

I want to recognize right from wrong. Immediately.
I want to recognize good from bad. Instantly.
I want to recognize the vital from the trivial. Consistently.

I want to have my conscience trained.
I want my senses to be alert.
I want my mind clear and focused.
I want my body responding to my spirit and not my flesh.

I want my spiritual eyes to be keen.
I want my spiritual taste to be for truth.
I want to distinguish what is pleasing and what is provoking to my Creator.

I want to recognize what is helpful, and what is hurtful to my body, my spirit, my soul.
I want to recognize temptation before it gets to me, long before I become trapped or involved.
I want to use scripture as it is intended by God, not to suit my own purposes.

“O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar……. you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.”(Ps. 139:1-4)

“…. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me…. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps. 19:13,14)


I live in a body of flesh. But I am a spiritual being and I have a soul.

Personal sin is not just offensive to God, it is hurtful to me. What is displeasing to Him is even more so because of the effect it has on me, His creation.

My sin hurts Him….and me.

Even if I don’t discern it at the moment.

I wish to be more and more discerning.

Wish Lists....

This is the time of year we hear a lot about wishes. Children have long lists, often very expensive ones.

I begin my wish list tonight.

It will NOT be a regret list.

It won’t be a list of things I wish I hadn’t done or said.

A wish is a desire. What is it that I really desire?

The words recorded in Psalm 37:4 have long been a very personal message to me…… “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

The message in that verse is not a matter of how to get what you want.

It isn’t about kissing up to God so He’ll give us everything on our wish list.

It IS, however, about the desire of our hearts being met.

How? Where from ?

Certainly not the North Pole or the fancies of department stores.

The wishes of my heart will never be realized by anything I can do. I can’t buy it, you can’t furnish it.

I wish to know Him better than I know Him now. Not so He will give me anything.

But because He already has.

He has given me life eternal......I wish to know Him as never before.

Thankful #22...

I am thankful I am becoming perfect.

"Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward--to Jesus.

I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

So let's keep focused on that goal……… There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals…..I've warned you of them many times…….Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven!
I'm waiting the arrival of my Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform my earthy body into a glorious body like His own.

He'll make me beautiful and whole….. with the same powerful skill by which He is putting everything as it should be, under and around Him.” (Phillipians 3:13-21 The Message)

I was not a perfect child. I was, however, easily disciplined.
I was not a perfect teenager. I was, however, seldom rebellious.
I was not a perfect young adult. I was, however, responsible and dependable.

I am not a perfect daughter. I do, however, honor my father and mother.
I am not a perfect sister. I do, however, respect them as equals.
I am not a perfect wife. I am, however, completely committed.
I am not a perfect mother. I am, however, devoted and prayerful.
I am not a perfect friend. I am, however, trustworthy and truthful.

I am not a perfect hairdresser. I do, however, do my best.
I am not a perfect business owner. I am, however, honest and fair.
I am not a perfect citizen. I am, however, law abiding.

I don't always do all of the above.
I don’t always do the right thing.
I don’t always say the right thing.
I don’t always act in the right way.
I don’t always have the right attitude.

My body is not perfect.
My skin is not perfect.
My hair is not perfect.

But I am being perfected…..not by my effort alone, but by the only perfect One Who ever walked in flesh, as I do.

“It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, He did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.” (Hebrews. 10:14 The Message)

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

Only let us live up to what we have already attained....

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Php.3:12-21NIV)


Me?.....Perfect?

Not yet……

But He is.

“ As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” (Ps. 18:30-32)


"His divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness through my knowledge of Him who called me by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given me His very great and precious promises, so that through them I may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.."(2Peter 1:3-4 personalized by me)

Hallelujah.

Thanksgiving indeed.