Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.
Romans 12:1
It came time for the offering last Sunday morning. At our church, we serve as a family on the host team which also takes up the offering. My youngest son and I were standing in the back of the sanctuary holding the velvet lined brass plates. As the prayer was being said I sensed small flashes through my closed eyelids. I peeked to find my seven year old amazed by the light reflecting off the brass plate he was holding. Delightedly, he was moving it around watching the ball of light dance all across the walls and ceiling of our church. I think this was a first for him and He was gleefully amazed.
This touched my heart on so many levels I could hardly contain my thoughts as we juggled three offering plates between the rows. When we walk with the Lord allowing Him to transform us by His Holy Spirit and the power of His Word, He refines us and buffs us so that we can cast His loving reflection to our family, our neighbors and our friends. We are like that brass offering plate in the hands of our thrilled Creator. God lovingly and joyfully holds us, moves us, molds us, adjusts our circumstances and even dances with us so that He can use us to shine the light of His love to the world around us.
Our part, our offering and sacrifice, is not about the money we put into the plate on Sunday morning. Jesus was the only perfect offering and sacrifice acceptable to our Holy God. Our only hope is to put our faith in Him and what He did for us on the cross. Anything else is works, not grace. Our very best offering to Christ is to submit ourselves in humble worship, completely surrendered and yielded to His plan, knowing we are held securely in His nail pierced hands as He uses us, with joy and delight, to reflect His glory all around.