Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1-2 "1 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,....'

A number of years ago I ran across this snippet of history about "Ivan the Terrible.” Ivan was one of the great rulers of Russia. He was so busy trying to annex territory to his country that he had no time for social life. His advisers become worried because he had not married. Ivan suggested that they  find him a wife and he would accept their recommendation.

They searched far and wide for a girl who was beautiful, intelligent and a king's daughter. They found her in Athens, Greece. Her name was Sophia, the daughter of the King of Greece. Ivan asked the King for his daughter's hand. The King demanded that Ivan join the Greek Orthodox Church. This he did. He had gone to Greece with , five hundred of his best soldiers and when Ivan joined the church they desired to join also. A catechizer outlined the articles of the Orthodox Church creed to every one of them. They gave ready assent to every article except one. One of the articles stated that if they joined the Orthodox Church they could not be professional soldiers.

They asked the catechizer to give them time to think the matter over. They pondered the problem, "How can we join the Church and remain in the army at the same tine? They concocted a plan. When they were to be baptised they marched into the water. The five hundred soldiers were accompanied by five hundred priests. (They were to be baptised by immersion. How else could a Greek Church baptise them, since they know the true and only meaning of their word, "baptizo"?)

Shortly before each priest plunged his candidate under, each solder grabbed for his sword and lifted it up in air. Each one was baptised; except for his fighting arm and a gleaming sword that jutted out of the water. Those who witnessed the mass baptism spectacle said they saw five hundred dry arms and five hundred glittering swords sticking out of the water. It seems the he soldiers had come up with a compromise. 'We will join the church with our bodies, but we will allow our fighting arm to remain in the possession of the state."

The application of this little historical episode is self-evident. In his Roman letter Paul gives a clear call for a complete committal to Christ by all who call themselves brothers in Christ. But it seems that in our day many are not willing to yield themselves completely to Christ.

Writing fifty years ago, evangelist, Angel Martinez, had this to say about conditions existing in his day, "The curse of the hour is the curse of partial surrender. We can never have power with God or with men until we have given ourselves wholly to God. God does not want scraps or leftovers. God doesn't need much of a man, but needs all there is of him. The price of spiritual power is complete surrender.”   What would he say about the great falling away that has occurred in the meantime.

The Geography Of Real Happiness

Have you ever noticed that happiness does not necessarily relate to where one lives? We live in a mobile age. There are no boundaries to the possibilities of change in environment and circumstance for twenty-first century man. People move more freely and easily across international borders and around the world than previous generations moved to other villages or neighbourhoods.

If you summed it all up you would find that many are moving to and fro on the face of the earth seeking the elusive phantom of their vision of happiness. Free men seek the guarantee of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as a basic bulwark of their freedom. But this guarantee does not necessarily justify the inordinate amount of time some seem to spend in a seemingly futile pursuit of that magic happiness that always seems just around the next bend in life’s road or over the crest of the next mountain of life’s struggle.

Those in the north move south and those in the south move north. Westerners tend to drift east and Easterners go west. Country people seek economic prosperity in the city as the urban dweller is drawn by the lure of what seems to be the simpler life promoted by the back to nature and back to your roots movements. All evidently feel that geographical, social or vocational relocation may finally place them in real contact with that mythical and ever elusive condition of true happiness.

Sad to say, the vast majority are often bitterly disappointed when they inevitably discover the truth that true happiness cannot be acquired in this manner. They realize as well that you cannot move away from your troubles. That old song about packing up your troubles in your old kit bag says it all. The baggage of one’s troubles always seems to be on the same plane or following along on a flight close behind.

In our day of easy divorce and government subsidized marriage breakdown, it is amazing how many people seem to think they can move on to a new relationship without the baggage of broken and failed relationships and all the emotional immaturity and instability involved in such unresolved conflict, following close behind them!

No, happiness does not necessarily relate to where one lives, what one does for a living or how much of this world’s goods one might accumulate. It is more a matter of why, how and with whom one lives. Those who find true happiness are pleasantly surprised to find that the abundant life is as mobile and universal as the person and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He said one purpose of His coming and His eternal existence is that our joy might be full. He did not speak of true happiness being found in the absence of trials, troubles and tribulations, but in the midst of them. He did not speak of happiness being characterized by the absence of the winds of adversity, but of His joy and peace being possible in the storms of life.

Joseph and Daniel found a life of true joy, happiness, fulfilment and the will of God, in the unlikely geography of a land of their captivity. We also need to truly understand that happiness is to know the Saviour and live a life within His favour. As an old children’s chorus said it, happiness is the Lord.

When all is said and done it must be admitted that one primary source of discontent and unhappiness in our lives may come from allowing the world to set our standards and priorities and define the condition of happiness for us. If we value those things the Lord values and seek first His Kingdom, His Peace, Joy and true happiness will be our real reward.

Facing The Future Without Fear

We live in terrible times. The threat of cruel barbaric terrorism pervades the atmosphere at home and abroad. Hardly a day passes without hearing news of another unimaginable atrocity perpetrated upon innocent women and children. It seems there is no depths of depravity those who are the adversaries of freedom and truth will not plumb in order to bring terror and fear to those who advocate and advance the principles of a Judeo-Christian civilization.

They make it clear they hate us for being us. They tell us in no uncertain terms we do not deserve to live on the same planet with them. They say ultimately we must convert to their religion or die at the point of a sword. It seems they would prefer the latter fate.

We seem to be given the options of dying on our feet resisting their tyrannical brutality or living on our knees in slavish subjection to an extreme and perverted form of a religion. They make no secret of their ultimate goal. They seek to impose their barbaric, uncivilized code upon all the world.

Is there any hope? Surely God will answer the prayers of those who will stand for righteousness in the land and in the world and grant the continuing freedom we need to live and serve Him. Surely we are still privileged to pray for such a victory in our time. Surely we can use the weapons of spiritual warfare He has given us to face our fears of the forces arrayed against us and forge ahead into a future of real freedom in Christ Jesus!

In Christ we can always be optimistic about the future. We can be sure the sun will rise tomorrow and the future will come, if Jesus does not come in the meantime, and then that will be our future! Tomorrow may bring its own share of troubles and trials, but it will bring along with those the overruling providence of our great God. The words of our Saviour assure us of this, "... In the world ye shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Our Saviour is saying the obvious, if we will just stop and consider it. Each day has enough burdens and blessings of its own.

God only gives us grace and strength to live one day at a time. That's all we really need. Tomorrow's problems and challenges can be dealt with by His grace if and when tomorrow comes. Prudent planning and provision for tomorrow is wise, but undue worry about tomorrow is foolish and futile and fails to face the future with faith that the God of today is also the God of tomorrow. 

The scriptures tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and that God's mercies are new each morning. When we are too fretful and fearful about tomorrow, we often rob ourselves of the peace, joy and victory God would give us today. This is not God's will and way for us. Our outlook about the future should be reflected in the words of the Psalmist, "This [is] the day [which] the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)

But is our God really able to help us today? Do we have any rivers that are "uncrossable"? Do we have any mountains that are unclimable? Do we have any walls that are unbreachable? Do we have any fiery furnaces whose flames are unquenchable? Do we face any lions whose mouths are unstoppable? Do we have any problems that seem insoluble? Do we have any foes who are unconquerable? Do we have any hurts that seem unhealable? Surely the great God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob can come to our aid today, if only we trust in Him!