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WE HAVE LOST THE MEANING OF LIFE BECAUSE WE’VE LOST THE MEANING OF SACRIFICE

In the opulent ease of Western civilisation, the word sacrifice has become archaic—relic-like, stripped of glory, buried beneath convenience and the cult of self. In its place, we’ve enthroned comfort, distraction, and self-preservation. But in that trade-off, we’ve surrendered something vital, even sacred: the very meaning of life itself.

Your life only has meaning to the degree that you sacrifice it for something greater than yourself. This is not mystical fluff or ancient superstition—it is a divine blueprint embedded in creation.

Other cultures still practise sacrifice. Tragically, many direct it toward idols, ancestors, and spirits of war and fertility. They bring real offerings and pay real costs. Yet in the modern Church, we claim to serve the living God while offering nothing more than convenience, noise, and half-hearted, unfulfilled promises. We want power without burning altar. Authority without submission . Fire without sacrifice.

We are heirs to a Kingdom yet live like spiritual orphans—begging for a breakthrough while withholding the very sacrifice that activates divine intervention.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS BUILT ON SACRIFICE

Jesus didn’t say “It is more blessed to receive”—He said the opposite:

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

The currency of the Kingdom is sacrifice. Not just money—but time, energy, obedience, reputation, and attention. Greatness in the Kingdom always has a cost.

But we often prefer giving God someone else’s cost. Their prayers. Their effort. Their lives. We outsource obedience as if God takes spiritual cheques made out in someone else’s name.

But He doesn’t want their life—He wants yours. He wants you. Present. Willing. Consecrated. Abiding.

Paul said it plainly:

“If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

This goes far beyond physical work. He’s speaking to spiritual lethargy—the refusal to engage in the labour of prayer, the discipline of holiness, the offering of one’s own body.

This is not earning salvation. This is participation in it.

WE DEMAND TO BE FED—BUT DO WE FEED HIM?

We often pray, “Feed me, Lord.” Feed me the bread of healing. Feed me deliverance. Feed me peace. Feed me the bread of breakthrough and provision. And in His great mercy, God does. He feeds us daily, even when we offer very little in return. He sets a table for us in the presence of our enemies (Psalm 23). He invites us to come and eat.

God cannot overlook spiritual laziness indefinitely. If you are a babe in Christ it is one thing, however most people reading this haven’t been babes for a long time. God has fatherly duty to bring us to maturity. A maturity means accepting our responsibility, that is response-ability or the ability-to-respond.

Even if we don’t take this seriously, God does, so beware.

Rarely do we stop and ask, What am I bringing to the table for Him? Do we ever think of feeding the One we call our Bridegroom? After all, if I don’t come to the table, how will I eat what He has prepared?

It turns out the table of the Lord is the altar, and I am His food.

Covenant has always been mutual. It is not a one-way street. We were never saved to become passive recipients or spiritual consumers. We were saved into a relationship—a relationship that asks for participation, not just spiritual consumerism.

Even in our modern wedding traditions, there’s a lingering symbol of this covenant truth. When a bride and groom feed one another wedding cake, it’s more than just a sweet photo opportunity. It’s a silent vow: I will care for you. I will sustain you. I will give of myself to nourish you.

In the same way, our covenant with God implies something more than receiving. It invites us to give. And He delights in our obedience, our worship, and our offering. He is honoured when we lay something valuable down—not out of compulsion, but out of love. He is pleased when we bring our time, our bodies, our attention, and our hearts and say,

“This is for You.”

Let’s not pretend sacrifice is glamorous. It’s not. It’s costly. It’s uncomfortable. It often looks like inconvenience. It is routine and very ordinary.

Waking up early to pray when your body wants more sleep. Turning off the noise to listen when you’d rather scroll. Choosing faithfulness in the mundane. These are not dramatic gestures, but they are deeply spiritual ones. They are acts of love that say, “You matter more than my comfort.”

The results of our obedience are not ordinary at all. Sacrifice is the foundation for the extra-ordinary life.

If we want to enjoy the benefits of the covenant, we must also embrace the cost. We cannot keep asking God to feed us while refusing to feed Him. If we want fire on the altar, there must be something on the altar for the fire to consume. If we desire His presence, we must make space and bring our offering.

So perhaps the most powerful prayer today is not, “Lord, feed me,” but rather, “Lord, what can I feed You today?”

Because love doesn’t only receive—it gives. It prepares a table. It shows up with something in hand, no matter how small. We give according to our ability, and God honours when we give sacrificially, even if it is only the two pence of a widow who doesn’t have more to give. God knows the demands on your time. But remember HE has the right to make a demand as well. It is His covenant right.

True covenant-keeping knows that in any true covenant, both hearts must offer themselves fully.

SACRIFICE IS A COVENANT ACT

In Judges 11, Jephthah responds to the king of Ammon not just with political logic but with covenantal insight. He understood something the modern believer often forgets:

God does not war for those who do not worship Him.

We are quick to demand promises but slow to build altars. Yet in Scripture, every act of war was preceded by acts of worship. Weapons were consecrated. Altars erected. Vows made. Why? Because the victory belonged to God only when the sacrifice did.

So how do we expect divine intervention without divine invitation?

And how do we invite God? Through sacrifice. Through obedience. Through surrender.

THREE AREAS OF SACRIFICE: PHYSICAL, INTELLECTUAL, SPIRITUAL

Victory is not wishful thinking. It is participation across three key arenas:

PHYSICAL

Your body must come under divine discipline. It must be trained to prioritise the eternal: prayer, fasting, solitude, worship. Sleep, eating, time usage, routines—everything must come under submission to the Spirit. Romans 12:1 commands us to present our bodies as living sacrifices.

INTELLECTUAL

Your mind must be renewed. Your opinions must be laid on the altar. Reading Scripture. Reflecting. Repenting. Studying. Sacrificing preference for truth.

SPIRITUAL

Your spirit must be given preference. The soul thrives where the flesh dies. If you don’t feed your spirit, don’t expect spiritual power when faced with challenges and when demonic obstacles block your path.

SACRIFICE IS STRATEGIC, NOT ACCIDENTAL

Holiness isn’t stumbled into. You don’t drift into greatness—you die into it. Just as the priest prepared the sacrifice, so must you prepare yourself for the fire of God.

The devil’s most effective tactic today isn’t lust or greed. It’s distraction. He fogs your schedule. He clutters your altar. He convinces you that “later” is good enough. Before long, you’ve built a platform but never an altar.

You want fire from heaven—but where is your offering?

“HERE I AM—IT IS WRITTEN ABOUT ME…”

Hebrews 10:5–7 echoes Psalm 40:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—but a body you prepared for me… I have come to do Your will, O God.”

God is no longer asking for dead bulls. He is asking for living obedience—a consecrated body, a sanctified schedule, and a surrendered mind.

When Paul pleads in Romans 12:1 to “present your body,” he’s invoking the Hebrew concept of korban—the offering brought near to the fire. And fire only falls on what’s offered.

IMAGINE YOUR RESURRECTED SELF

Close your eyes.

Can you see the you that God sees?

Strong. Whole. Radiant. Unshakable. Walking in authority. Praying with results. Fulfilling your assignment. Living fully awake.

Now feel the tension.

That inner resistance—that’s not weakness. It’s the price tag.

Sacrifice hurts. But the flesh dies so the spirit can live.

→ No resurrection without death.
→ No fire without offering.
→ No victory without sacrifice.

FINAL WORD: REBUILD THE ALTAR

If your fire has gone out, rebuild.

If you’re stuck, rebuild.

If your spiritual life feels cold, put something on the altar.

“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering… and all the people fell on their faces.”
(1 Kings 18:38)

God is not moved by noise. He is moved by offering.

Bring your body.
Bring your focus.
Bring your attention.
Bring your obedience.

Let Him find you on your altar when He comes

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Father,
Teach me again the holy art of sacrifice.
Train my heart to give what costs.
Expose the places in me that still cling to comfort and control.
I lay myself on the altar—mind, body, soul.
Let Your fire fall. Let Your will be done.
Consume every excuse, every fear, every idol.
Breathe resurrection life into the ashes.
I am Yours. Entirely. Forever. Amen.

MEMORY VERSE

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
(Romans 12:1, NKJV)

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. What have I been asking God for—without offering anything in return?
   (Have I mistaken access for entitlement?)
2. Where have I chosen convenience over consecration?
   (What would a real sacrifice look like today?)
3. What is the last thing I laid down for the sake of the Kingdom—and what did it cost me?
   (Do I only give what’s easy?)
4. Which area of my life is still “off limits” to God—and why?
   (Am I truly offering my whole self?)
5. If Jesus knocked today, what would He find on my altar?
   (Would He find me, or only the ashes of an empty promise?)

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Sacrifice is not optional. It is how the Kingdom is built.

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