Surrender and Sacrifice in Worship – From the Edges.

From the Edges – Morning Devotional

Pastor Calvin Cook

Lent – Day 32 – Surrender and Sacrifice in Worship

Scripture focus – Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Saturdays are days I like to spend time to focus on the heart of worship and prepare myself for worship. Since we are on this journey from the edges of our own lives together, my prayer is for fully committed, God centering, Spirit encouraged worship.

As the remembrance of the events of holy week are before us, I am going to attempt to go back to the place in the Gospels which might describe what happened on this day each day this week.

None of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John make any mention of what might had happened this day. Ponder this, Saturdays were and are in the Jewish faith and tradition a day of Sabbath. With all their sincerity and devotion to God, everything paused, and focus completely shifted to worship, privately, as families, friends and community, and certainly in the Synagogue. I can only imagine this day was a day of preparation of what was to come. A time Jesus spent with his friends, family, just being together. Joining in prayer, scripture reading, fellowship and probably telling stories of where they had been in life and where they are now.

The Romans text for today gives us some clear instruction in regard to surrender and sacrifice. It is the direction that coming to worship and engaging is worship should not be substituted with anything. Everything should be set aside. Worship is stepping into a place where nothing stands between you and God. The need for the quiet time encouraged through the hymns, music, calls to worship, prayers, spoken word, lifting praises in the presence of your friends should become genuine and not just coming to a show.

Surrender and sacrifice together mean nothing will get in your way of making a divine connection with God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is stepping away into a place where nothing that is around you is important, no agenda, no care of what others might think or say. It is taking off the mask, forgiveness, redemption, salvation, direction, and so much more all wrapped into one central theme which we call worship.

If you want to know my honest opinions, surrendering and sacrifice to Jesus Christ and His will is, rather, the opposite of how we live even how we worship. We haven’t yet come to the resolution that we cannot do this life without Him. In true sacrifice and surrender, especially during worship, we are giving up control. Now, that’s scary, we are human, we crave control. We control our time, friendships, meals, etc… Those are just the basic aspects of our everyday lives. Now, just for a minute, think about what your life would look like if you surrendered to God’s will during worship. Maybe once again we would see the altar rail full, praying in the public sector, testimonies of Jesus without reserve. We would see hundreds and thousands of disciples taking seriously the transforming power of Jesus and actually going into the world to spread to all people and places the good news. We would see the Remnant becoming a powerful move of God without fear, or any other type of trepidation. Seriously are we doing and being what God desires?

In Mark 14:36 we read a Jesus prayer prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane ““‘Abba Father’, he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Sacrifice and surrender in worship and especially in life is “thy will be done”. I also pray for that day not only in my life but in yours as well.

May the peace of Christ that passes all understanding reign in your heart today !