Daily Devotional
Remaining Disciplined and Devoted to God
“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
March 31, 2023
Ponder This
Have you ever said to God, “I am here. You can have all there is of me. I present myself as a sacrifice. All my plans, my goals, my so-called possessions—I sacrifice them to you Lord”? Does that seem strange to you? If we are honest with ourselves, there are so many of us that want to take Christianity and tack it onto our regular lives. We want to hold onto our lives, our rights.
A sacrifice in the Old Testament was killed; it had no more plans of its own. On the altar, they had two hooks and those hooks would be put into that sacrifice that was to be burned to hold it on the altar. Do you know what will hold you on the altar? Discipline and devotion will hold you there as a living sacrifice, but most of us don’t want those flesh hooks.
Many will say, “I don’t want to get bound down. I would teach a class, join a church, and make a pledge to the love offering, but I don’t want to get bound down. I want to be free.” No. This is a sacrifice. And what happened to an Old Testament sacrifice was this—it was consumed; it was burnt up. You do not truly worship God until you are consumed.
- If you are honest with yourself, what are the things you aren’t willing to give up to follow Jesus?
- Do discipline and devotion to Jesus have a prominent place in your life? Why or why not?
Practice This
Speak to a person you know who has sacrificed a lot to follow Jesus. Ask that person to share insights about discipline, devotion, and living sacrificially.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
