What personal sacrifices might God be calling you to make today? The Example of Christ in Hebrews 10:9 “He then says: ‘Here I am, I have come to do Your will.’ He takes away the first to establish the second.” • Jesus set aside every personal preference to accomplish the Father’s plan. • His obedience replaced the imperfect shadow of old sacrifices with the perfect reality of His own life laid down. • In union with Him, daily life becomes the altar where willing hearts echo, “Here I am—Your will, not mine.” What Doing God’s Will Looks Like Today • Choosing obedience even when it costs comfort, applause, or convenience. • Letting Scripture, not culture, define priorities, ethics, and relationships. • Quiet, steady faithfulness—seen more by God than by people. • Persistent trust that His plan is better than any self-designed future. Common Areas Where Personal Sacrifice May Be Required • Time—reallocating leisure hours to serve, disciple, or care for family. • Finances—living modestly so resources advance the gospel and relieve need. • Reputation—standing for truth when opinions run the other way. • Career plans—saying yes to assignments that place ministry above promotion. • Comfort zones—welcoming the lonely, mentoring a teen, crossing cultural lines. • Entertainment and habits—laying aside anything that dulls love for Christ. • Unforgiveness—releasing the right to retaliate and choosing reconciliation. • Private sins—confessing, repenting, and building safeguards for purity. Scripture’s Call to Living Sacrificially • Romans 12:1-2: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices… Do not be conformed to this age.” • Luke 9:23: “He must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” • 2 Corinthians 5:15: “He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him.” • Philippians 3:7-8: Paul counts “all things as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.” • Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Taking the Next Step of Obedience • Identify any area where self-will still directs decisions. • Compare that area to the revealed will of God in Scripture. • Surrender it to Him, trusting His character and promises. • Act immediately in the smallest concrete way—an apology, a budget change, a calendar entry, a public stand. • Rely on the Spirit’s power, not sheer determination, to keep the sacrifice on the altar. • Celebrate each fresh act of obedience as fellowship with the One who first said, “Here I am—I have come to do Your will.” |
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