“But when I remember that I am not my own, I offer up my heart, presented as a sacrifice to the Lord.” - John Calvin
When I was young I remember fearing that God may call me to live in some far-flung location to serve Him. Maybe you too have feared that God may ask of you something you are not yet willing to give. Followers of Jesus are not their own, but those who have been bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20). Believing this truth carries with it the acknowledgment that if we are not our own, we do not have complete control over our lives.
As those who bear the image of God, we are called to give to God what belongs to God (Gen 1:27, Mark 12:17). This can be both fearful and freeing. Fearful because I have less claim over myself than I would desire. Freeing because I know that God is a good Father who loves me and that presenting my body as a living sacrifice to God is the only way to find true freedom (Matt 7:11, Rom 12:1). To find your life, you must lose your life (Matt 16:25).
Perhaps the only thing scarier than a heart presented as a sacrifice to the Lord - with the potential of being sent to a far-flung location - is a hard heart… A life unwilling to be sacrificed in response to the Living Sacrifice.
Take myself, and I will be, ever, only all for Thee. Amen.
For Thee,
AB