1 Peter 2: 4-5

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Sacrifice? Not the most pleasant or popular word these days. I looked up the definition of the word. One definition said the slaughtering of animals or people to a deity–lovely. Another spoke about destruction or surrender. Still another talked about something given up or lost.

All the definitions had a definite undertone of negativity, but the spiritual sacrifices Peter talked about are anything but negative. Instead they are actually quite wonderful with an even more wonderful end result.

After reading several articles about spiritual sacrifices, I made up my own definition: Offerings of words and/or deeds we make to God to bring glory to Him. They go beyond rituals and involve our inner being–our spirit. Spiritual sacrifices not only reflect our devotion to God but strengthens our relationship with Him. (That’s the wonderful end result I was talking about earlier.)

So what are some of these spiritual sacrifices? I found quite the list on the internet. Here’s a few but there are many others.

A broken spirit/contrite heart/repentance. We need to recognize we are sinners and do something about it. Changing our thoughts, feeling, and actions to become more like Jesus honors his sacrifice.

A surrendered life is about dying to self and putting God first. It can include many different things. It may mean something dramatic like becoming a minister, missionary or other worker for God. But it also includes everyday actions like loving others, doing good, and putting aside our own desires.

Obedience to God is a sacrifice that can and will change our lives for the better. Forgiving others is one example. God expects us to forgive others because he forgives us. But the wonderful this is that when we do it frees us from the anger, bitterness, and hate that threatens our relationship with God as well as our own joy.

These spiritual sacrifices as well as others not discussed are the cornerstone to living a life that pleases God, something we should all aspire to.

One last thing. The verse talks about us as living stones being built into a spiritual house for God. Everyone knows that one stone does not a house build. We need to come together with other living stones to complete God’s spiritual house. Being part of a spiritual community also honors God. In that community is where you will find wisdom, love and encouragement to complete the journey God has you on.