A Living Sacrifice

God is not looking for your qualification, He is looking for your willingness, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah 1:19. There has never been anyone working for God who is qualified but it is God who qualifies us just by election. The qualification is not of you but all you have to do is to be willing. Are you willing to submit to Him that He may use you. You should be excited if there is anything God has put in your hands to do because He could have chosen anybody but He chose you. Luke 5:1-4 says, “And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” Jesus could have chosen any other ship but He chose that of Simon's and it is impossible for God to use you and dump you. Anybody that is used by God is most fortunate because He has been enmarked for the blessing. 

I often wonder why people run away from God and from working for Him and from giving to Him what He put in their possession to be used for the glorification of the gospel. If He chose to use you, you should be excited because you are a candidate for the blessing because He will never use you and dump you. If you allow God to use you, you will be blessed for it. Luke 5:4-5 says, “Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” These were professional in the business, they knew that night time is the best time to fish, when the water and the environment is calm. And through out the night using their professionalism, they caught nothing. They toiled all night and they were frustrated. Here comes Jesus telling them to “launch into the deep and let down your net for a draught.” Simon almost missed his blessing. Sometimes, you use your reasoning and you miss God totally. So many people keep failing because they are using their reasoning when they receive an instruction from God. The Bible says “to be carnally minded is death; to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6). So many people lean on their own understanding more than they lean on the word of God, thereby missing the blessing. The beginning of your blessing is your faith in God. 

Luke 5:6-8 says, “And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” It was not his righteousness that brought about this blessing but his willingness. People who ought to be first today are last because they are too smart for God to use, they are not willing. As great as this blessing was for Simon Peter, that wasn’t what God intended for them. What God intended for them was far more than that. Luke 5:4, “Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your NETS for a draught.” Nets is plural, meaning more than one. What Jesus said to them was to get some extra nets but in verse 5 of Luke 5 the Bible says, “And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down THE NET.” What God prepared for them was for many nets to catch but what Peter had in His mind was for one net, He limited God. What God has prepared for us is actually bigger than what our minds can phantom but if you are willing you shall eat the good of the land. It is the extent to which you believe that God does anything in your life. If you will only believe the transformation will come. 

How do you show your willingness? Just by trusting God, believing and daring Him. Mark 10:27 says, “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” God gets excited anytime you put your trust and confidence in Him. Luke 5:9-11, “For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.” Every miracle that happens in your life, happens that you may know that He is God, that you may draw closer to Him. The more you know that He is God, the more submissive you should become because there so much more He wants to do in your life. There is always a higher level of blessing and responsibility if you will be willing and obedient, a higher and better blessing will follow. This is the most difficult thing in Christendom, submission to God. People can give money, and resources and anything God blesses them with but they don’t give themselves. That is why Christianity is full of mediocres, unwilling people wanting to bribe God with their resources but never give their own lives. Mark 10:28-30, “Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” What triggers all these, they first gave themselves. If you don’t give yourself, you will never be able to give something that will touch the heart of God. It is you first, a living sacrifice. It is you that God needs, you are much more important than your money. Give yourself and your money will be relevant. (2nd Corinthians 8:1-5). God needs you, and when He gets you, He will bless you and the resources will come through you and the kingdom will celebrate you. If God can catch you, it means that everything about your life has been surrendered unto Him. 

Romans 12:1-2 says, “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. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” You are created to be a living sacrifice, submit yourself unto Him, let Him be the total Lord over your life. Stop dictating what happens in your life, He bought you and He paid completely with His precious blood. Be wise enough to be a living sacrifice and let the will of God be done in your life. But you will never know the will of God for your Life until you renew your mind. Until you renew your mind, you will never know what is good, what is acceptable and the perfect will of God for your life. Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Do you know the meaning of LORD? It means supreme authority over you. It therefore means that you have sold yourself unto Him, your will have been sold out, it is His will that has taken over your life. If you have gotten to this point, get ready for the blessing. 

God bless you. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year