Faith: Me, the Living Sacrifice
"I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1)
I received this note on faith a while back from a dear friend, who has always reminded me to sail by the stars, not the flotsam:
"It takes faith to lay things before God. It's not easy to leave them there. They're important and significant to us, and so to bring our grades, relationships, interview, applications, plans, Bible studies, responsibilities, concerns and other great matters (to us) before God is not easy nor natural. Thus the best testing of our faith is to go through trials that require us to cast all these things before Him. Will we trust Him? However, the test is not of God, whether or not He can handle them, but instead it is of us. It is a test of if we will trust Him with what is most important to us in such a way that we are willing to let Him do whatever He wants with them and that we will not try and grab them back. For we know that He works all things together for good. Once we make that painful decision to give Him our worries, the things we care so much about, then the power of God becomes known to us, and as we see the Creator wisely orchestrate all our cares so that all is taken care of, our faith is built and God has worked all things together for good."
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)