On August 16, 1987 A northwest Airline flight 225 crashed just off the Detroit airport. There was only 1 survivor among 156 people aboard. A four year old girl named Cecilia. Cecila survived because as the plane was falling, her mother unbuckled her own sat belt, got down on her knees in front of her daughter, and wrapped her arms and body around the little girl and refused to let go.
When we hear a story like this, we can sense and feel the love of this mother for her child. In fact, her love was the acting force that enabled her to give her all for her child.
The Bible calls us to devote our lives to God; a devotion that enables us to give our all to God.
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. (Matt 22:37-38)
In many ways, as Christians we know [in our minds] that we should be totally devoted to the Lord. It’s not that we don’t understand the command. We actually do! The problem lies in how do we devote our lives to God so that we can give our all (our best) to God.
In Romans 12:1-2, we can see three ways to devote our lives to God.
- First thing I want to talk about is Our Commitment:
Look at vs 1.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Paul says “present your bodies.” Here it refers to the whole person. “Present your whole person a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.
Jesus also said in Mathew 22:39 speaking of the greatest commandments:
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
- Some of us don’t know how to love others and fall short of it because they haven’t learned how to love themselves. Some of us can’t love God because we love ourselves more than God. Our commitments are nothing more than a thought!
We’re somewhat confused most of our lives because we have never truly accepted the fullness of who God is and that there is more to the plan God has for our lives than we can even imagine!
Ye see our commitments to God, our family and to our friend fall way short because we still haven’t allowed God completely into our lives to work on the things that keep us from being a whole person.
It’s just like the message I preached a couple weeks ago about the Rich Young Ruler. Our commitment to God falls short and the very thing we are missing is right there in front of us the answer to our question …. Jesus….. Sell out to Jesus give your heart and He will make you whole.
Jesus’ teaching about vows and oath in Matthew 5:37 says All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Paul is talking about total commitment in Romans 12.
Let me explain it this way. There’s a pig and a chicken walking down the road. As they walk along, they read a sign advertising a breakfast to benefit the poor. The chicken turned to the pig and said “You and I should donate a ham and egg breakfast.” The pig replied, “Not so fast. For you an egg is just a contribution, but for me, a ham is a total commitment.”
So we not only should be aware that we are to give God Our All but that we should actually put it into action…… God wants our relationship to be more than just a Sunday go to church or a dollar in the offering… He know the intent behind the heart!
The second way to devote our lives to God involves:
- Our focus.
Look at the beginning to vrs. 2 “And do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
One of the greatest hindrances to our devotion and relationship with God is the WORLD! Heb 12:1 says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer) and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,
- Last but not least this morning God want you to know that If we are going to find the void in our lives and if we want to please God with Whole body we have to change our Thinking:
(12:2b) but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind’….