Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. (Rom. 6:12)
IT MAY BE OLD-FASHIONED NOW, but it was once popular music among Christians. The hymn “Take My Life and Let It Be” came from the pen of nineteenth-century British poet Frances Ridley Havergal. The lyrics describe how she consecrated (gave to God) every part of her life: her intellect, will, and heart, her hands, feet, and tongue, her time and money. She held nothing back.
I’m sure the apostle Paul would have appreciated Frances’s lyrics even though his taste in music may have been different from hers. He told his readers that they died and rose again with Christ at their conversion (Rom. 6:2–10). Then he told them that they needed to live out that reality in their day-to-day lives. “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin,” he wrote. Rather, “offer the parts of your body to [God] as instruments of righteousness.” (v. 13)
Imagine that you are a surgeon’s assistant. You have a tray full of surgical instruments. Your task is to hand over the scalpel, forceps, clamp—whatever the surgeon asks for so the surgery can proceed successfully. Jesus is the master surgeon. He’s asking you to give Him the parts of your body as instruments for Him to use for good. Hold nothing back. Give the Master every part of yourself in service to Him.
Consciously offer the parts of your body to God today.
