A Living Sacrifice
For those who don’t know, I had a hip replacement back on December 10, 2025. Long story short, I have dealt with a small “catch” that would come up sporadically back in college and, about 2 years ago after playing in a student/staff basketball game at my school, I could barely move that evening. I went to the doctor, and they told me I was bone-on-bone and had a couple of bone spurs. They said it looked like I had been in multiple car wrecks. I’m only 41years old. This was devastating news, but I went through the process of trying to hold out without surgery for as long as I could with injections every 3 months. I was able to last with until this past September. I scheduled my surgery and, lo and behold, my injection wore off much earlier (within about 3 weeks instead of 3 months) than usual and I had to suffer miserably for 2 months until the procedure.
I had a conversation recently and their response was:
I reflected on a scripture from Romans 12:1 - I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Paul is writing to the church in Rome and trying to help them understand the importance of giving their all in worship to God. It doesn’t say “Worship God with just enough on Sundays”. It doesn’t give instructions on how to put on a show for others. It talks about how we are to present ALL of ourselves as a sacrifice on the altar regularly. The Romans (and even pagans) knew what sacrifices were at the time. They knew of the ritualistic offerings left to be sacrificed – unblemished and perfect animals brought to be burned. These offerings were brought alive to the altar.
But as I looked at myself during this season, I knew there was no way I was unblemished OR perfect. I was BROKEN seemingly beyond repair and that was more than just the physical. It began to take a toll on my mental space. Not sleeping or being able to move without pain caused me to realize my frailty and I began to wonder if there was something I had done to deserve this torture I was going through.
But there is something about the Lord’s consuming fire that does something to the soul when you lay it on the altar. It purifies you - it MAKES you holy. When you “present your body,” it is not merely speaking about the physical – it refers to giving ALL you are to the Lord. One commentary I read says that God doesn’t want just your work, he wants YOU. And what good is it to do a bunch of “work” for the Lord and not give him your self?
I was very intentional about HOW I served during that season. I worked more in the background while still submitting ALL of me to the Lord in a way that was slightly different than the past. When I felt low, I would cry out to the Lord and ask him to give me strength to be a light where I went. I wore a smile and began to encourage others at my workplace EVEN MORE than I had in the past. My worship began to change because now I had no choice but to submit all I was and had to the Lord because I had nothing left to lose. He began to show others and myself how great his power really was. And my healing testimony is all the stronger from it.
My worship is now filled with a spirit of joy and gratefulness that it lacked before. My heart is full from the little things like being able to rest and being able to walk up stairs with no pain. My interactions with others point more toward the Lord as I help them understand where I came from and how far he brought me.
For some, going through tests and trials seems like it will never end. I want to encourage you in this season, and I want to challenge you. Have you submitted all you are to the Lord? Not just the things you do for Him but your entire being. Ponder on how you can change the narrative and ultimately be purified and justified in the eyes of God so that man, one day, will see there is HOPE even in the least of us.
Rooted In Love,
Pastor Thaddaeus
I had a conversation recently and their response was:
- It doesn’t look like you just had a surgery (Praise God!)
- I had no idea you were even in pain.
I reflected on a scripture from Romans 12:1 - I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Paul is writing to the church in Rome and trying to help them understand the importance of giving their all in worship to God. It doesn’t say “Worship God with just enough on Sundays”. It doesn’t give instructions on how to put on a show for others. It talks about how we are to present ALL of ourselves as a sacrifice on the altar regularly. The Romans (and even pagans) knew what sacrifices were at the time. They knew of the ritualistic offerings left to be sacrificed – unblemished and perfect animals brought to be burned. These offerings were brought alive to the altar.
But as I looked at myself during this season, I knew there was no way I was unblemished OR perfect. I was BROKEN seemingly beyond repair and that was more than just the physical. It began to take a toll on my mental space. Not sleeping or being able to move without pain caused me to realize my frailty and I began to wonder if there was something I had done to deserve this torture I was going through.
But there is something about the Lord’s consuming fire that does something to the soul when you lay it on the altar. It purifies you - it MAKES you holy. When you “present your body,” it is not merely speaking about the physical – it refers to giving ALL you are to the Lord. One commentary I read says that God doesn’t want just your work, he wants YOU. And what good is it to do a bunch of “work” for the Lord and not give him your self?
I was very intentional about HOW I served during that season. I worked more in the background while still submitting ALL of me to the Lord in a way that was slightly different than the past. When I felt low, I would cry out to the Lord and ask him to give me strength to be a light where I went. I wore a smile and began to encourage others at my workplace EVEN MORE than I had in the past. My worship began to change because now I had no choice but to submit all I was and had to the Lord because I had nothing left to lose. He began to show others and myself how great his power really was. And my healing testimony is all the stronger from it.
My worship is now filled with a spirit of joy and gratefulness that it lacked before. My heart is full from the little things like being able to rest and being able to walk up stairs with no pain. My interactions with others point more toward the Lord as I help them understand where I came from and how far he brought me.
For some, going through tests and trials seems like it will never end. I want to encourage you in this season, and I want to challenge you. Have you submitted all you are to the Lord? Not just the things you do for Him but your entire being. Ponder on how you can change the narrative and ultimately be purified and justified in the eyes of God so that man, one day, will see there is HOPE even in the least of us.
Rooted In Love,
Pastor Thaddaeus
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