“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.” Romans 12:1

Dedication is defined as being wholeheartedly committed to a task or purpose. In Romans chapter twelve Paul admonishes the Christians in Rome to surrender to God’s divine purposes and guidance for their lives. “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.” Romans 12:1.

Paul stated that this is our “reasonable” service-or in other words, considering all that God has done for us through His amazing grace- giving to us eternal life. . . it is only sensible, or rational that we give our bodies as a living sacrifice unto Him. The old gospel hymn states: all to Him, I surrender. . . all to Him I freely give!

Every decision that we make should first be evaluated by God’s foundational truths. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. Seeking God first assures us of His divine guidance, protection, and ultimate success according to His standards.

The safest place to be is always in the will of God. The road that we travel may not always be easy, but when it is orchestrated by the hand of God it is the best path to follow. God is doing something far greater in our lives than we can imagine; let us consistently pray to be used for the up building of His Kingdom in all that we do.

We can faithfully yield ourselves in service with confidence in His faithful promises. Jeremiah 20:11 states “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you and expected end.”

Recall that these words from the Lord sent through Jeremiah were spoken to the children of Israel when they had been taken captive in Babylon. . . they were in tough times- but God promised to prosper and bring them out of the captivity…but only after seventy years!

We can surmise that this was certainly shocking news and not at all what they wanted to hear; but God purposed for His children to remain faithful and in hope; they were to embrace the blessings and lessons that would be manifested in their lives even in the land of their captivity-their deliverance would surely come!

Can you identify with the Children of Israel today – does God have you waiting on a deliverance in your life? Yes… we all experience tough times as well, but wherever God has us in life is just where he wants us to be, and there is always a blessing on the other side of through! “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” 2 Corinthians 4:17.

My friends, what peace we can have in knowing that our steps are lovingly ordered by our Lord, so let us continue to walk by faith and not sight…remaining faithful in hope and dedicated to His will! “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.