LIVING OFFERINGS
«Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God— this is your true and proper worship» (Romans 12: 1, NIV).
THAT FAMILY was being terribly battered. First, the maternal grandfather, who had promised to leave his house to his two grandchildren as an inheritance, suddenly threw them out on the street with all their belongings after they had lived together for many years. He simply decided it; there was nothing more to do than accept the reality. At nightfall, dejected and sad, the two young people went to find shelter in a police station. That was only the beginning of their trial.
A short time later, their mother was diagnosed with cancer. The chemotherapy ravaged her body, but not her soul: the love of God continued to be as real for her as ever, and that gave her the strength to go forward. She just put a scarf on her head and left with her family, walking several miles every night to arrive at the church services. She never stopped praising God.
She could be seen there, seated in her place, with an oxygen tank beside her. Until the days closest to her death, she raised her voice with those of her family in a praise that echoed in that great congregation. When she could no longer take those long walks to the church, her children and her husband took turns: while some of them cared for her, the others went on foot to worship God. Their lives were real living offerings to the Lord; they lived for Him with an untiring spirit of gratitude. They offered Him that type of offering that is so pleasing to Him.
Is your life an offering to the Lord? Giving an offering to God is our way of showing Him our worship, our gratitude and dedication to Him. We do not achieve the forgiveness of sins through our offerings; it is only through Christ that it is achieved. Giving an offering does not make us perfect in any sense, either; only Christ will be able to make us perfect when He comes for us and transforms us radically. Then, you will ask, what exactly is giving an offering to the Lord? It is showing our gratitude for all that He does in our lives, regardless of the circumstances that surround us. And that may be achieved by dedicating everything we are to Him.
«For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s» (1 Corinthians 6:20).
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Women’s 2020
«One Day at a Time»
From: Patricia Muñoz Bertozzi
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Magda Sanz T