Today’s 333 Devotional: “A Complete Surrender”

“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)

This word, “present” is a technical term used to describe bringing and offering an animal sacrifice. This wasn’t an offering where you could take it back. The animal was presented alive, and was then sacrificed, that is, it was killed. And what that animal represented symbolically was the person making the offering.

And so, when we’ve been called to present our bodies to the Lord, what we are doing is offering to God the whole of who we are, not bits and pieces like most of us do. God doesn’t want just a part of who we are; He wants the whole of who we are.

In the Great Commandment God said that we are to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Again, that is to love Him with our whole being.

It was Sunday morning, and winter had just made its mark, as snow was blowing everywhere. A young boy who sold newspapers on the corner found that no one stopped to buy his papers. So, hoping to get warm he slipped into the back of the church and listened to the sermon. When the pastor was done the offering plate was passed, and when it came to the boy, he stared at it and then put it on the floor.

He then did something very strange but beautiful. He stood up and stepped into the offering plate. By then every person in that congregation was looking at him, and when he looked up, he had these huge tears running down his face. He said, “Pastor, I don’t have any money because I haven’t sold any newspapers today. But if Jesus gave His life for me, then I will gladly give my life to Him.”

That boy gave the greatest gift of them all, himself.