I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship. Romans 12:1 ISV

As the revelation of being a living sacrifice to God unfolds for me, I see more and more of myself that I want to give Him. The first layer you might see in this verse might prompt you to understand that we are not to give our lives, or even our body to anything that would harm it.  Drugs, alcohol, or sexual immorality.  Maybe selfishness toward one another, or greed.  These were my first revelations of making myself a living sacrifice.  As long as I was keeping from the ‘big’ sins I thought that was my sacrifice. This is definitely one aspect.  I would venture to say that most people that go to church would expect these things of themselves (not saying that anyone does it perfectly).

But as the Word of God becomes clearer to me and what God did for me in Jesus becomes more real, I see so much more in what it means to be a living sacrifice to God.  His Spirit lives in me, He ransomed me from hell and from the corruption of this world.  My life isn’t my own, and therefore neither is my soul or body.  I am His!  It cost Him His son to do it.

And He wants to live His life through me and through you!

So being a living sacrifice begins with surrender.  And it isn’t just a surrender of our bad behaviors. The good news is, that through this sacrificial surrender, we become like the one we give ourselves to.  There is an exchange.  One we receive all the benefits of.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

When you want this transformation into the likeness of Jesus, it prompts you to surrender each and every part of your being more and more.  To where there isn’t any goal or purpose that you have outside of what God has shown you.  This is a lifestyle of progressively becoming more surrendered to God.

And there is freedom in that.  Why? Because the previous verse says this:

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Remember, we are not our own, and it is God in you that does the transformation.

For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13amp

We are free from self-effort, struggle, fear, pressure, control, and all the expectations the world says we are to conform to.  Our goals are solely what God wants, and our purpose is His glory in the earth.  As you surrender yourself, in this relationship you find yourself, and you find your purpose in Him.  It’s no longer ‘what about me.’ That just doesn’t matter.   Living a ‘Christian’ life isn’t about being mindful to ask God to bless what we’re doing; it’s about being a living sacrifice surrendered to do what God has already blessed.