KC Tsai—Toronto, Canada

In this final issue of our Time to Reflect trilogy, we consider the meaning of our life, and how to live a life worthy of our calling. How does receiving God’s truth and grace of salvation define our existence on earth? Like Paul, once we have been saved, we should dedicate our lives to God. This represents a healthy relationship with God.

A LIVING SACRIFICE

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Rom 12:1)

Why does Paul beseech in such a way? The “therefore” signifies that there was a reason for his pleading. In the preceding chapter, he writes that we were “cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree” (Rom 11:24). Though we were initially “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12), we have been ushered into the grace of salvation through the blood of Jesus. He suffered tremendously and sacrificed His own life for our sins. Man can never repay such immense love. Seen in this light, presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him becomes a logical and reasonable response. This is why Paul proposes a lifetime ministry for all who belong to the Lord and desire to serve Him. He implores them to present their entire lives unreservedly to God.

But what is a living sacrifice? And why is it holy and acceptable to God?

In the Mosaic Law, man was instructed to offer burnt offerings. The sacrificial animals were killed before being placed on the altar, as no animal would be willingly sacrificed if given a choice. By implication, they were dead sacrifices. Under the new covenant established by the Lord Jesus, man is not forced to make any offerings against his will. This was why the offering of Ananias and his wife Sapphira was unacceptable to God (Acts 5:1–11). After seeing other brethren selling their possessions and offering the proceeds to the apostles, they felt pressured to do the same. Their reluctant offering, and conspiracy to keep part of the proceeds while appearing to offer the whole sum, brought God’s wrath upon them, and they died. Therefore, our offerings must be genuine and faithful. If one willingly presents his body as a living sacrifice, it is holy and acceptable to God.

DEDICATING YOUR LIFE IN MINISTRY

Everyone who realizes how great Jesus’ grace is upon him should embark on a journey of lifetime ministry. But it is even more meaningful to serve without worldly distractions—to serve as a full-time minister.

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Tim 2:4)  

A full-time minister is like a soldier enlisted by the Lord Jesus to fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life (1 Tim 6:12). He needs to fight determinedly, untethered from worldly affairs. And through this fight, the worker grows stronger and advances. By studying the Bible constantly and sharing its messages, the worker will mature spiritually and be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity (1 Tim 4:12). He is like the hardworking farmer, partaking of the crops first (2 Tim 2:6).

A FULFILLING AND VICTORIOUS LIFE

By the end of his life, Paul said: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Tim 4:6). This expresses a sense of relief and contentment, like the sigh of a runner crossing the finish line. He felt his life of ministry was fulfilling and victorious:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Tim 4:7–8)

Is there any prize more precious than the crown of righteousness? It is a laurel presented by the Lord Jesus. Unlike regular laurels, it is imperishable (1 Cor 9:25). A full-time worker who ministers God’s word faithfully and endures to the end will be a laureate forever.