About 45 years ago I became acquainted with Angus and Emma Brower, pioneer missionaries in Africa. When I saw their slide presentation and talked with them, I thought of them as people who had truly placed their bodies on the altar for God.

While we admire the selfless devotion of such people, let's not forget that the words of Romans 12:1-2 are addressed to all of us.

The dedication of ourselves to serving God begins with a decisive commitment. But just as keeping the vows spoken in a wedding ceremony requires continual reminders and recommitment, so dedicating ourselves to the Lord involves a moment-by-moment awareness of the pledge we made.

These reminders are necessary because the world-system relentlessly appeals to our inherent selfishness and pride. Through an attitude of continual submission to God, however, our hearts and lives will be transformed by God's power. And we will then know, with an assurance that comes from the Holy Spirit, that God's ways are "good and acceptable and perfect" (v.2). This enables us to live confidently, joyously, and sacrificially.

Are you a living sacrifice?  — Herbert Vander Lugt