February 8

“Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God . . . ” — Rom 12:1

A Christian man had quoted this verse, urging those whom he had addressed to present their bodies to God as a living sacrifice. When he closed, a good friend who sat beside him said, “John, the next time you quote that verse, you would better quote all of it.”

“Didn’t I quote it all? “

“No; you left off the last words, ‘which is your reasonable service.’ That is very important.”

The old Quaker was right. We had better quote the whole verse. It is not an unreasonable thing that God asks us to do when he beseeches us to present ourselves to him as a living sacrifice.

He is our Father, and we are his children; is it unreasonable that a child shall be asked to do a father’s will?

We may think of our redemption, and remember at what tremendous cost Christ bought us, and then of all the blessings and hopes that are ours through his sacrifice for us. Is it unreasonable that we should be asked to consecrate our lives to God when he has done such things for us?

We may think, too, of what will be the result if we do not yield ourselves to God–that our lives will be lost in sin’s darkness; and of the good that will come to us through devoting ourselves to him eternal life and blessedness. Is it, then, unreasonable that we should be called to make this presentation of ourselves to God?