"I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, for this is your reasonable service."

This is how I memorized this passage as a child. Sacrifice, reasonable service, holiness - all worked together to make me acceptable. Not very exciting, not encouraging independent thinking or attitudes. Much more the sheep than a lion.

I have rebelled against this concept all my life in ways both obvious and subtle. I am not enamored with being the sheep. I like the lion, but have come to think that the lion is likely the easiest route for a selfish person. When I am on the highway, it would take much more effort and discipline to drive like a sheep rather than a lion. A selfish person sees the world as his to take and other's to give.

But Jesus was the sheep - the Lamb of Life. What I have learned from Him is that He wasn't a sheep because He was born a sheep. Instead He chose to become the Lamb of the World by choice.

This choice took the courage of a Lion and the endurance of a champion. He, the Lion of Judah, showed His strength by His choice. The sheep was not looked on with any admiration at all until the moment spoken of in Revelation when the Lamb is shown as the only being who was worthy. Sacrifice, holiness and reasonable service. May I understand where my true strength really exists.

There must be a difference between sacrifice that is forced on me and sacrifice I choose in order to accomplish something for Good.

Persecution from doing good is one kind of sacrifice forced on me.

The Bible says that sacrifice from persecution is to be endured as a way to identify with the sufferings of Jesus. I don't choose this sacrifice, even though it may be a result of Godly behavior. This kind of sacrifice is character building, developing an endurance in the face of different kinds of pressure. It is also a witness to those aware of my sacrifice.

Sacrifice I choose is what I deny myself in order to gain something greater. I sacrifice time spent in certain pleasures to devote that time for God. I sacrifice satisfying certain appetites so I can live without guilt draining my spiritual effectiveness. I choose to sacrifice for the joy that lies on the other side of what that sacrifice will produce.

Jesus chose to sacrifice Himself "before the foundations of the world" - "Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising its shame", knowing that there would be an ultimate benefit.

I think that "living sacrifice" is something I choose.

I think there is a serendipity to sacrifice - the unexpected leftover that is astonishing in its reward and resultant joy.
I'm not sure it happens every time, but it may always be there waiting to be recognized.

I am sure that those who focus on the pain of the sacrifice may well miss the serendipity. There is always so much to react to in life that it seems so easy to dwell on one part or another and not see the whole.

I visited my 80 year old mother this weekend. A couple of years ago one of my sisters became unable to care for her kids and the oldest, Luke (10 then), went to live with my parents. It was a sacrifice in many ways. When Dad died last January, the serendipity became very apparent. As Luke put it a few months ago: "Grandma and I have a symbiotic relationship - we need each other."

And they do. Together they make life work - each sacrificed and now the serendipity is seen.

How much time do I spend looking for the serendipity instead of fixating on my sacrifice?

Sometimes it is very difficult to find the difference between sacrifice and submission. Submission is what I do when it would cost me too much not to do it. It is often a choice to give in to keep the peace or to keep out of trouble.

Sacrifice is a voluntary effort that gives up what is mine to give.

It is only truly sacrifice if it something I could freely choose not to give. I don't make a sacrifice when I do what any father should do for his family. I submit to that clear expectation and follow my sense of responsibility. eg: I get up and go to work because my family needs me to provide for them - even if I don't feel like it.

I do make a sacrifice when I give in an area where I am within my right to withhold. I sacrifice when I take my personal time to voluntarily do something that is beyond the "fatherly" area of responsibility. If I resent that sacrifice, then it is not true sacrifice - just loaned effort until I feel I have been "rewarded" for my loss.

I have the hardest time when I get caught not being sure if some considered act or expectation is necessary, right, helpful or whether it is being manipulated by those close to me. (It sometimes happens to any one of us)

I have 10 more days of seeking God's guidance in understanding the essence of sacrifice for my life - then asking His help working it through the fabric of my existence.

I have been contemplating the concept of sacrificing those things that call me away from God in favor of those that lead me to Him.
I don't think it is a one-time thing. In fact, I think it is a daily thing. Maybe even a moment-by-moment thing. Truly a "living sacrifice".

The reward is to be close to God on a daily basis. That should be enough all by itself.

So why is it so hard to do consistently? Maybe I don't like the idea of giving something up that has been a part of my life so deeply that to give it up would make me uncomfortable.

I went to a chiropractor once. He said the first few adjustments would make me very uncomfortable. My body would be out of its old bad alignment and not yet settled into its new healthy position. It wouldn't feel right, but I had to trust it until it became normal.

I think it applies here. God calls me to sacrifice "that which I cannot keep to gain what I cannot lose." I will say that many times today.