Read: Romans 12:1-2
Ask: How do we live our lives as a "living sacrifice"? How important is it to our relationship with God to be offering a sacrifice to Him? Explain.
Leader: Assign the scripture references given below to each of your group members. Take a few minutes to read these, and discuss again the importance of sacrifice and what it should look like for us. Then, take turns reading the following Psalm of Sacrifice written from the passages you just read together. To get everyone involved make sure you read around the circle or assign different passages by highlighting and handing out the reading to specific people.
A Psalm of Sacrifice
The Lord has said unto us, "I want your love and loyalty, not your wealth, nor your time. I want you to know me, not to give me offerings that cost you nothing of the spirit.
And yet, so often we have responded to God with rote prayers of repentance and petition.
Is God not saying to us today, "When you bring only your starved spirit and bitter attitude to the glorious life you have been given, isn't that wrong? When you bring unforgiveness and hatefulness to me as the choices you continue to make, isn't that wrong? Try offering it to your boss. Would he accept it from you? Would he welcome you as part of the team?"
"Now try asking me to be kind to you. This is what you are doing! Giving me the broken down side of your life, the part of your life that is putrid and half-hearted. Should I be pleased with that?"
Instead, should we not, as Christ's chosen, offer more to the Lord our God? Should not our lives be more like a soothing aroma that is burned as a sacrifice of praise? Our simple, heart-felt praise is what God accepts and what pleases Him.
Yes, we must confess the name of Jesus continually. We must call Him Lord and Redeemer and our Beginning and our End. We must always be ready to speak of His goodness and His mercy.
For Jesus alone is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Thankfully it was not because we were so good and worthy and loving that Jesus gave His life for us, but that God loved us so much that he gave his only Son as a sacrifice to cancel the great debt of sinfulness that we had run up.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
What do we do to repay Him for his great love? Doing what is right and fair and decent. This is more acceptable to the Lord than offering a sacrifice just because it is expected.
I will do as the Lord asks, and I will bring a song of thanksgiving to Him as a sacrifice.
Instead of relying on myself or my family or my friends, I will call on the name of the Lord to be my help and my strength.
O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will tell about your love and your grace given to me.
I know you are not happy with any sacrifice.
Otherwise, I would offer one to you.
You are not pleased with burnt offerings.
The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit, one that knows they are nothing without you.
Lord, let my prayer be accepted as sweet-smelling incense in your presence. Let the lifting up of my hands in prayer be accepted as an evening sacrifice. Amen.
Hosea 6:6
Malachi 1:8-9
Philip. 4:18
Hebrews 13:15
1 John 2:2
1 John 4:10
Proverbs 15:8
Proverbs 21:3
Psalm 141:2
Psalm 116:17
Psalm 51:15-17
