"¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will...⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." -- Romans 12:1-2,6-8

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were told to tithe from their flocks and their farms, in the New Testament, we are told to give monetarily. In both instances we are to give from our earnings, but is giving from our earnings really enough though? Is ten percent really enough? Is that all God wants, or as followers of Him, should we give more? A dear sister once told me, "He really doesn't NEED our money. He is omnipotent! What He WANTS is our heart, one that longs to serve and please and love". How true that is! David tells us the same thing:

"⁶Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.
⁷ Then I said, 'Here I am, I have come-
it is written about me in the scroll.
⁸ I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.'
⁹ I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD .
¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly." -- Psalm 40:6-10

In order to fully give ourselves to the Lord's service, we must fully submit ourselves to Him. Jesus says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Apart from God we can do nothing, including serving Him! It may seem paradoxical, but in order for us to serve God, we need God. In order to do God's Will, we need God's help. We need God to help us in every aspect of our service to Him. Complete service requires complete submission.

Complete submission, is exactly what Jesus Christ gave. Jesus gave his all in all for us, and we should do no less for Him. He submitted Himself to His Father's will, even though He knew what was going to happen to Him. Jesus knew exactly what He was about to go through, that was why He was here. On the night He was betrayed, He was in agony over what was about to happen to Him. Luke tells us that His sweat "was like drops of blood" (22:44). Jesus was not looking forward to what He was about to face:

"³⁶Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." ³⁷He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸Then he said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.' ³⁹Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will'." -- Matthew 26:36-39

Jesus was "overwhelmed with sorrow" over what He was about to face, but He still submitted to the will of His Father, even to the point of DEATH!! Jesus Christ knew exactly what He was going to face, He was God and that was the very reason He came to earth. However, He was also man and was very, very stressed over it. He asked God to take that cup from him, if possible. But, He also said, "Your will be done" (Matthew 26:42). Even though he was not looking forward to what He was about to face, He still submitted to God's will. Michael Phillips wrote in a recent book:

"He went all the way to Calvary fighting that internal battle, knowing he didn't have to die, that at any time he could call down twelve legions of angels to deliver Him. But He fought that battle for us so that we too could become sons and daughters of sacrificial childship, so that like Him we would have the courage and strength to pray in our own private and unseen Gethsemanes, 'Not my will, but Yours be done'." -- Make Me Like Jesus: The Courage to Pray Dangerously

Jesus Christ went through every step, endured every lash, and every painful moment on that cross. He died, He was raised, and fulfilled the Will of His Father. That is what we need to do. We need to follow the example of Christ and submit ourselves to the good and perfect will of our Father. Even if we are not looking forward to what we are about to face, we should submit to the God's Will. It will be for our own good. Look at Jesus, after he died, He was raised with a new, glorious body. Not only that, but His resurrection brought about victory.

While Jesus was beaten and whipped and crucified, He came through it all and is now our Champion and our Victor! When we submit ourselves to God, things will not always be "peachy", but we will come out victorious. God only has our best interests in mind, He "works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28). God's will is perfect, so we should trust Him, just as Jesus trusted Him. We should submit to Him, just as Jesus submitted to Him.

Only with full submission to the Lord, can we fully serve Him. Once we have fully submitted ourselves to His Will, we can then serve Him. Here too, we follow the example that Jesus Christ has set for us:

" ²The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." -- John 13:2-5

Jesus Christ was their master, their teacher, yet, on the night He was to be betrayed, He took on the role of a servant, getting down on His knees and washing His disciples' feet. Likewise, we should humble ourselves, consider others better than ourselves and serve them as Christ served His disciples:

" ¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 2:1-5

We need to serve our fellow Christians, to raise them up above ourselves, looking to their interests and providing for them whenever we are able. We also have a duty to serve non-Christians. I personally believe that serving them is a great mission tool. By providing for those in need who are not saved, you present a wonderful example of the Lord's love. After all wouldn't giving food to a hungry orphan or giving clothes to a man left out in the cold have more of an impact for God than preaching?

For example, in the play Les Miserables, in the very beginning, Jean Valjean stole some silver from the church that had given him food and shelter. When the constable brought him back, the priest told him that the goods were not stolen but in fact a gift to Jean. That one event had such an impact on Jean that he completely changed his life.

In the same way, by giving to those in need, but providing for and assisting those who are without, we are having an impact. Anytime we help someone in need, we are actually doing mission work. By presenting an example of God's love, by being an example, we are better able to win over people's hearts. When we witness with action instead of just words, walk the walk, if you will, we will have a much better influence on people than just preaching to them. By doing so we are serving God in addition to serving others:

"³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ⁴⁰The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" -- Matthew 25:34-40

Not only are we serving God by doing His work here on earth, but whatever we do for those in need here, we are also doing for our Savior, our God up in Heaven. By serving man, we are serving God. That is just what God wants from us: our service, and our hearts.

"⁷But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ⁸This is why it says:
   "When he ascended on high,
       he led captives in his train
       and gave gifts to men." ⁹(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? ¹⁰He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) ¹¹It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹²to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." -- Ephesians 4:7-13

God has given us all gifts to use, and He has given us those gifts so we can use them in service to Him. Each of us has different gifts, but each of us have our own. There was once a man who was good at frying chicken, so that became his job at church. Whenever the church had any sort of fellowship meal, this man would fry chicken. Each and every occasion, he got in the kitchen and fried chicken. That was his gift and that was what he did. There is no gift that is too small to be useful to God.

Not everybody can be a pastor or a teacher, not everybody can be a chicken fryer. We each have our own individual gifts, and they are all different. Therefore we should use what we have and work together to serve our Lord. I'll say it again, everyone has his or her own gift and each of us should each use that gift to the best of our ability. Maybe right now you are unsure as to what gift the Lord has blessed you with. You may be wondering, "how can I serve God if I do not even know what my gifts are?" It is actually rather simple. So simple, I overlooked it for years even though it was staring me right in the face. Look at how you are living. Remember the Scripture from above:

" ¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." -- Romans 12:1-3

" ⁷In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness ⁸and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." -- Titus 2:7-8

" ¹¹Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. ¹²Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." -- 1 Peter 2:11-12

I recently had another conversation with another coworker that I think fitting. It started with the "mark of the beast" and the new implantable chip they are coming out with, and led into a discussion of God's will and current events. My coworker told me, "I just don't think God is working to let his people suffer. What do you think?" I happen to agree with that assessment. We saw above that God only has our best interests in mind, He "works for the good of those who love him". While we will face tribulation in this world, is not God's will that we suffer.

I believe that what we are seeing in this country, and the world, really, right now is His will, even though things are looking bleak. Satan probably even thinks he is near victory, but I believe God is going to use all these events and circumstances according to HIS plan. I also believe, given what is going on in this country today that now, more than any other time, we need to let our light shine before men. We need to be "living sacrifices" for our Father. We need to not only be Christians in Church, but also outside of Church. The ACLU really is seeking to eliminate Christianity this side of the double doors, but if we decide we are going to shine our light in every aspect of our lives, if we decide to live for God, that will be impossible for them to do. We should follow Peter's advice, and "live such good lives among the pagans that...they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." By making every effort to do so, and by setting your heart on living to glorify God, you are giving Him your all in all.

There is a song we have been singing in Church, we sang it the last few weeks, I think it summarizes this article very well, and will close with its words:

Lord, prepare me
To be a Sanctuary
Pure and Holy
Tried and true
With thanksgiving
I'll be a living
Sanctuary, for you...