Paul urges believers in Rome to offer themselves as a 'living sacrifice' (12.1) as an act of worship; in response to the goodness of God. He was referring back to earlier forms of religion when God was worshipped by the offering of an animal on an altar. In the first eleven chapters of Romans, Paul explains why and how Jesus bought redemption for us. From Roman 12, Paul tells us what we must do if we have accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Jesus laid down the rule of 'self-sacrifice' when He said "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" (Matt.16.25 NRSV). A little later he said to a rich young ruler, "If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come follow me". (Matt.19.21 NRSV)

Jesus had already sacrificed more than we can comprehend by coming to Earth. What God had given Him in His earthly life was totally yielded to His Father's will. Doing what is right in this world is in itself costly because it mean doing and saying what the world does not like. Self denial is more than the willingness to part with a portion of one's income however praise worthy that may be. It is a act of giving up completely our own way ‑ and all that we might naturally want to do. Commitment to Christ touches every conceivable aspect of life so that every part of our lives is governed by the will of God and not our own will. From the crown of our heads to the tip of our toes, from the moment we rise in the morning till the moment fall asleep at night we are His and under His direction. The hours of rest from labour are God's and His child commits him or herself to God for His safe keeping.

Total surrender at the foot of the Cross is the only way forward for a Christian. This is the entrance to the Narrow Way. We must approach the Cross in total contrition, confessing our sin. We should heed the warning in Hebrews 6.1, to avoid "laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God'. But the writer is not telling us that repentance and faith are no longer required. He is concerned that we don't remain in a baptismal stance forever or to change the metaphor, we must not remain in a state of new birth (John 3.3) ‑ we need to progress and grow. It is not possible to make that progress in the Christian Way or to grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ unless we live continuously in the attitude in which we approached the cross ‑ contrition of our whole life, body, mind and spirit. So John writes (1.8,9) "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness". That direct command of God is ignored by many Christians.

"A humble lowly contrite heart,
Believing, true and clean,
Which neither death nor life can part,
From Him who dwells within." ‑ Wesley

When we have repented of our sins and accepted Jesus as our Saviour the remainder of our life is one of total commitment to Him. All that we have and all that we are, belong to Him forever. We need to follow His way of life carefully. Is that possible? Can we, today, live as a Jew lived 2000 years ago? Geographically and socially this may seem impossible. We live on the same Earth, and we are surrounded by human beings. But is it practical when faced with the question of what we should do and say, to ask "What would Jesus do?" We live in another part of the planet, we speak a different language, we are surrounded by a vastly different culture, yet it is possible to follow Him, closely. Two things make this possible. Jesus promised to be with us always. It is hard to grasp that promise fully, immediately, but though it may take long years, we can really know our Saviour and walk with Him. It sometimes helps to learn how others have discovered this wonderful privilege. Every committed follower of Jesus is given the gift of His Holy Spirit so that God may live in us. Many Christians feel failures because the companionship of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit are not the directing and driving force in their lives.

For some the Christian life is little more than an excited emotional experience and for others it is more intellectual than practical. Life after consecration is pictured by the husband and wife who unconditionally give themselves to each other. Marriage in its true form is where both partners willingly submit to the wishes of the other. They wish to avoid all that hurts and want to make life undivided bliss. So is the relationship between Christ and His Church ‑ between Jesus and everyone who has committed themselves to Him.

So what have we to lay on the altar of the Lord? In Romans 12.1 Paul's Greek word for body is 'soma' and he is saying 'yield your whole selves', which includes our personality as well as our physical body. Another possible translation is 'make a decisive dedication of your very selves.' Our minds and bodies are part of God's creation, "fearfully and wonderfully made" and they need to be kept cleansed for Him. Paul writes (1 Cor.6.19 Amplified) Do you not know that your body (soma) is the temple ‑ the very sanctuary ‑ of the Holy Spirit" However young and active we are or however old and frail, our bodies are the Lord's and at all times and in all places should be used, treated and cared for, because they are His. God has given us a brain ‑ we have the skills of remembering and thinking, the abilities to make ethical judgments and to calculate and make predictions. These are all God's gifts and are dedicated to Him if we have been baptised into Christ. Our bodies have the gifts of movement and balance, of pain and touch. Our brains have the gifts of smelling, tasting, hearing and seeing. All of these gifts and much more besides, have been surrendered to God. How much are we holding back and how far have we progressed in making every detail of our lives dedicated to our Heavenly Father, every moment of our time, every activity and every occupation? When we fully appreciate that fact, then all that we have must be His, all that we do must done for Him and in His way. We no longer speak for ourselves, we speak for Him. We no longer go where we want to go but where He sends us.

Jesus asks us to follow Him. He said that those who are really happy are those who suffer for Him. They share His willingness to live for others and His joy in the service of all; His desire that all may be saved and find new life in Him. But it will also mean that much has to be sacrificed for Him. He will call upon many to risk their lives for Him. He requires of some to do a lonely job and forego the world's rewards. He faced opposition and those who love and trust Him must expect the world's frown. Marriage, parenthood and friendship may be part of the Christian life ‑ but they may not. God calls us to do what He wants with all that we have and are. But following Jesus is the greatest joy in the world, and no one nor anything can take it away.

Our eyes and ears are committed to God and we therefore need to be alert to what he is telling us to say and do. A child of God will want to know what the Lord is saying ‑ in His Word and directly to his heart so that she or he can be obedient. This is only done by those who spend much time in prayer and in studying His Word. Prayer is simple in the manner of a child to the Father ‑ studying is not intellectual or academic but allows the Bible to challenge us. It is not done once for all or once a week but is a daily experience so that moment by moment we are walking with Him in perfect trust and total peace. It is not too hard or too obscure ‑ it is the privilege and inheritance of all who give themselves the Lord. That is your privilege now. Take it ‑ take Him, you will never regret it. In Him you will find the fullest life, however short or long that life may be.