Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
The Old Testament sacrifices were sacrifices that were killed. Of course, the grain offerings and fruits of the harvest that were offered to the Lord still had life in them. All the dead sacrifices pointed to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who willingly lay down His life so that we who were dead might live. God no longer calls for dead scarifies to be offered for our sins for it was accomplished ONCE AND FOR ALL in the death of His Son (Hebrews 9:28).
There is something very powerful about living sacrifices because they accomplish much more than dead sacrifices. The truth is that just as God was displeased when His people offered up dead sacrifices with the wrong attitude (out of duty, tradition, unwillingly, without due reverence and honor) in the same way God is displeased when we offer up ourselves as living sacrifices without due honor and respect for what He rightfully deserves.
Shallow, half-hearted offerings that contain no true heart feelings will also not be respected by God.
Be encouraged,
Colin Campbell