I know obedience to God is good, and that obedience means I love God, but what about my sacrifice? I am supposed to offer my body as a living sacrifice. “To obey is better than sacrifice” 1 Samuel 15:22b. “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me” 1 John 14:21.
Sacrificial Service
What if I do sacrificial service, very painful service? Service so painful that I need to recover for a week? For example, what if my pastor celebrates me with a PowerPoint presentation during a church service and says I am a model to be followed by others. That presentation then encourages the ladies of the church start a meal train to provide me food. What about that?
A counterfeit of obedience is creating my own opportunities to sacrifice myself, independent from God. I likely get the glory myself. If I try to give God glory for it that is no good, because I did not invite Him to be involved when I created the opportunities.
Obedience
It starts with obedience, not sacrifice. The word obedience means “submission to what is heard”. We are to be obedient and to submit to God. Offering my body to Jesus as a living sacrifice is giving Him control of my life. Obedience is about doing the commandments and will of God. I know the commandments and will of God from the Bible and from the Holy Spirit leading me.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” James 1:22. “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.
God’s Work
The Bible says doing God’s will is easy. It also says all with heavy burdens to come to God and rest. God may or may not call me to sacrifice. This is God’s work He prepared me to do, and He gets the glory. The Bible says Jesus gives me good works as a result of me abiding in Him. If I know God’s will for me, I should obey immediately. I shouldn’t be quick to serve God; be quick to humbly pray and abide (live in) Jesus. Then the good works will come later. Doing God’s will is easy because we do it with His supernatural power. So it is God’s mission, plan and works, and we are just His hands and feet. To God be the glory.