"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." Rom 12:1 (NIV)
There are two more lessons about dedication that we learn from the study of Solomon that we began yesterday. Besides Open Declaration...
Dedication means Sacrifice
They sacrificed an unbelievable amount that day! 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. That's a lot of T-bone steak and leg of lamb! Why? What could be the purpose of such sacrifices? What did sacrifices do for men that was so important to the Lord? Sacrifices are “A gift of trust to the Lord.” As they sacrificed they declared that they trusted God to take care of their needs. They were saying, “Instead of hoarding and declaring my trust in myself, I'll give to you Lord to declare my trust in you.”
Dedication will inevitably involve some sacrifices. Sacrifice is ultimately an expression of trust in the Lord. You're willing to give something up because you trust Him more then that something.
Dedication means Praise
A significant part of dedication is praise to God. Solomon’s praise as he dedicated the temple centered on the fact that God had kept His promise. There is a specific praise that not only expresses, but actually increases our dedication to the Lord. The specific praise that grows our dedication is "Thank You Lord for your Faithfulness.” It is a praise that recognizes that all that we have comes as a result of God's promises to us... as a result of His faithfulness in our lives.
That type of praise recognizes that I can be dedicated to God because God is dedicated to me! He is dedicated to my joy, my peace, my growth. God has dedicated Himself to my personal happiness and fulfillment. How dedicated is He? "He who did not spare His own Son, how will He not also along with Him freely give us all things." (Romans 8:32)
Family Discussion Question: What sacrifice would REALLLLY stretch your faith?
Your pastor and partner in ministry,
Kyle
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