Bought 2

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

While I promise that Jesus will come along side as we obey Him, we must make that choice to do so. I am sure at some point we have all wanted to avoid Romans 12:1. You have all heard that living sacrifices tend to jump of the altar. Maybe we sneak off or maybe we pretend we don’t see it at all. God still loves us when we do that, but we are the ones to miss out.

God may come to us with an opportunity and we might miss it. We might decide not to obey, even though we are bought, even though we know it is best to obey. How scary to think an opportunity might pass us by because we are unwilling to obey!

“Think of those believers who heard the call of Christ to some specific sphere of service but failed to respond. They have no idea of the present blessings and eternal rewards which they have missed.

It is true that sometimes opportunity knocks only once. Though it is laden with choicest treasures, it may seem at the moment to conflict with personal plans or to involve personal sacrifice. It represents God’s very best for us, but for reasons of our own we let the opportunity pass. We refuse His best and settle for His second best. All the time He is saying, ‘I would, but you would not.’” William McDonald.

If you are following after Jesus and wanting to go after Him strive to reject second best. If you are wondering about a certain course of action pray “God do not let me pass this by if it is You." If it seems crazy and illogical remember, His ways are past finding out (Romans 11:33).

One of my favorite stories is of Jacob wrestling with the Man in Genesis 34. He wrestles all night and finally the Man, really a preincarnate appearance of Jesus, touches Jacob in the hip to injure him. Jacob clings and says, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” Do that to God! He loves that tenacious faith. I am not letting you go until you tell me your blessed path; I do not want “the opportunity to pass.”

Jacob’s blessing was a new name, Israel, meaning Prince with God. When you give yourself fully to God to do His will He gives you newness of life. Your life will have eternal purpose.