Giving Ourselves to God

“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) Now and then, when you’re studying God’s Word, you run across “nuggets” that you just never saw before! I found one recently that I figured I’d share with you. 2 Chronicles 17:16 tells about King Jehoshaphat’s army and the generals that he had. In the middle of the list, we find Amasiah. “Next to him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself to the LORD, and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor” 2 Chronicles 17:16 (NKJV). Who was he? We don’t find him anywhere else in Scripture. All we know is that he “willingly offered himself to the Lord.” What did he do to garner such an accolade? I don’t know . . . we’re just not told. That one line puts him in a historical category that few others share! What a way to be remembered, eh? No one coerced, coaxed, or coached him — he just came to a place in his spiritual walk where he realized that giving himself totally to the Lord was the best thing he could do with his life. Amasiah’s life was what was described centuries later in Romans 12:1 as a “living sacrifice.” Here was a top-ranking army general living out his faith in the pressure cooker career of military leadership. It doesn’t matter what our occupation, role, or position is. We can each give ourselves totally to God and live out our faith in daily life — like Amasiah! Lord God, I give myself totally to You today. Help me to reflect you in every area of my life. — Kene Jackson   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org