By David Dyess II

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forebearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, tne faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Eph. 4:1-6).

Isn’t it hard to let go of the worldly things we hold dear? We pride ourselves in our possessions, in our positions, in the things of this world we have either been given or worked so hard to have. We have desires for things we have not, worldly things, all very temporary. There are so many devices of sin we seem to be tempted by, it seems like more each and every day. When will we become of the devices of righteousness? When will our desires turn to God; when will we allow Him to empty us of this world and work through us?

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

We have read of the sacrifices that were given unto the Lord by alter. Before Christ became the ultimate sacrifice, men gave sacrifices from their own stock. Men would offer to God their finest lamb, an offering to the Most High. Should we think it as a coincidence we also are referred to as the sheep of the Good Shepherd? The blood sacrifice has been given, so that we may live. We should be living sacrifices, the finest lambs of the Shepherd. We should be fattened by the Word, so when we are called upon to serve we may be ready.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Rom. 12:2)

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art though a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice (John 18:37).

This world has a likeness to two prisons: one is the death of sin and one is the life of Truth. When we are dead in sin, we are a servant to sin. Sin is the only one which calls upon those in its prison. While we are dead in sin, we are free of the Truth, we desire only sin. We serve only sin. When we are shown the Truth, when our eyes and ears have been opened to its beauty, we are set free from sin. When that dead stony heart becomes flesh, when we are given life, we are in the prison of Truth. The prisoner of Truth is a servant of Truth. The Truth makes us to desire it, we are called to serve only the Truth.

I believe that our Father is all knowing, everlasting, and all powerful. I believe that our Father knows everything about everything; he knows our thoughts, our fears, our abilities, he knows our minds and our hearts before we do. I believe this because, as God said, “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness..” If that verse ended at that point, we could, likely, assume God was speaking of our appearance, but God kept going. “…and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” The rest of that verse shows us that God created us in power, not only in appearance, but in the way we are.

We have dominion over every other creature on earth, just as God has dominion over us. God created us to be in his likeness, not only in appearance, but by design as well. When a man builds something, he knows every aspect of that design. If a carpenter builds a table, he knows exactly what that table is made of and what it is intended to do. The carpenter knows the table’s weaknesses and reinforces it where it is needed. The carpenter knows exactly what features that table has and how it should and shouldn’t be used.

The Great Carpenter, our Father, knows his design even more so. God knows what it will take to draw us to him, the call that will change our desires to be for His work. God knows each of us, He is in each of us. He knows exactly what we are intended to do and exactly when and how. May we each be as the fattened lamb, called by the Lord and prepared by His Word, to be living sacrifices to the living God.