Written By: Ugo Uchendu
In Romans 12:1, Paul begs us to give our bodies to God. He states that when we do this, not only does God see it as worship, but he sees it as true worship.
Romans 12:1 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.
Let's break this scripture down by defining the words sacrifice and worship.
Sacrifice is an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else that you regard as more important or worthy.
Worship, on the other hand, is the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.
In the definition of worship, there are two key words: reverence and adoration. Adore means to love and respect deeply, while reverence means to respect deeply. Therefore, we see that respect is a key component of worship.
But how do we respect God?
In Genesis 22:12, Abraham is about to sacrifice his only son, Isaach. But God stops him just in time.
Genesis 22:12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
The proof that Abraham respected (or feared) God was his obedience, and his sacrifice. If not for the command of God, Abraham would never have offered up his son. But he did it anyway, regarding God’s will as more important than his own.
Now, let’s go back to the definition of worship.
If the main component of worship is respect, and the way we show our respect for God is by obeying him, then our worship unto God at its core is our obedience to him. And just like in Abraham’s case, when our obedience becomes a sacrifice, our worship becomes sacrificial.
That’s why in Genesis 22:5 Abraham said this:
Genesis 22:5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
Abraham referred to his offering up Isaach as worship! When we make sacrifices unto God, we are worshipping him.
That brings us back to Romans 12:1. To become living sacrifices, we must be willing to give up anything and everything for God. When we crucify our flesh by choosing God in the midst of tough decisions, he counts it as worship!
It’s by continuously choosing God over and over again that our entire life becomes a living sacrifice of worship.
Today, I’m encouraging us to view worship as more than just the singing of songs. Let our primary form of worship be the respect and obedience that is sacrificial worship unto God.
Every single moment of every day, we can worship God by choosing his will instead of our own.
Every time you pray when you don’t feel like it, you're worshiping God. Every time you inconvenience yourself to serve someone, you're worshiping God. Every time you love your enemy instead of hating them, you’re worshiping God.
Anytime you choose to obey God’s commandments instead of giving in to your flesh, you are making a sacrifice. And it is worship unto God.
Let's worship God today :)