God is looking for us being living sacrifices (God wants us to live for Him, besides being willing to die for Him) and all for His glory. We are not saved by martyrdom. We offer ourselves to Him to fulfill His will and to glorify Him (cf. Is. 43:7) We don't have anything of our own merit to offer, such as righteousness, good deeds, morality, or philosophy, but nothing but brokenness and strife--in short, our sin! We come to God only as the lowest bidder with nothing in our hands but Christ's righteousness.
We received Christ as an unworthy sinner who had nothing to offer God, being at His mercy: The sinner's prayer in Luke 18:13 says, "God be merciful to me, the sinner." He threw himself on the mercy of God, declaring spiritual bankruptcy, and saw himself as unworthy! John Bunyan wrote, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners--see how he appraised himself! Paul never stopped thinking of himself as the chief of sinners (he said "am" not "was" foremost among them--cf. 1 Tim. 1:15).
The problem with people is their opinion of themselves--they won't let go and refuse to see their sin (Martin Luther said it is our job to make them see it). This is not the same as having low self-esteem, but of having no merit for salvation in God's eyes. This is God's estimation of man, not man's estimation of man. We are as bad off (not as bad) from being worthy as we can be, and as far away and removed from God as imaginable. In Luke 5:8 (NASB) Peter says, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Genuine repentance and saving faith entail cognition that you are a guilty and vile sinner in God's estimation.
Our offering to God is us--He wants us, not our gifts or merits. He wants us with all the wrinkles, blemishes, pimples, warts, bald-spots, missing teeth, eating disorders, disabilities, tears, and all our sins. We must come to Him as we are to get a changed life; we don't change our life and then come to Him for approval. Our righteousness is all as filthy rags (cf. Is. 64:6). We don't come for approval but for change! God can clean up our act and we can't. Who has anything that God should desire? God loves us despite all this and sees potential in us for His ultimate glory.
We must realize that God rewards us for what He has done through us: "... Since You have performed for us all our works" (Is. 26:12, NASB); "For I will not presume [venture] to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me..." (Rom. 15:18, NASB); "You who rejoice in Lodebar [naught], And say, "Have we not by our own strength [without God's] taken Karnaim for ourselves [they are boasting]?" (Amos 6:13, NASB); and "... From Me comes your fruit [fruitfulness]" (Hos. 14:8, NASB).
We were chosen according to His purpose and grace and according to the good pleasure of His will (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Eph. 1:5). I must emphasize: We don't impress God! It is grace that He even uses us as vessels of honor rather than vessels of dishonor. We fit into His plans; we don't fit Him into ours. The kind of sacrifice God wants is for us to live our lives for Jesus, but take up the cross and be willing to die too, if He wills.
The problem with people is their opinion of themselves--they won't let go and refuse to see their sin (Martin Luther said it is our job to make them see it). This is not the same as having low self-esteem, but of having no merit for salvation in God's eyes. This is God's estimation of man, not man's estimation of man. We are as bad off (not as bad) from being worthy as we can be, and as far away and removed from God as imaginable. In Luke 5:8 (NASB) Peter says, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Genuine repentance and saving faith entail cognition that you are a guilty and vile sinner in God's estimation.
Our offering to God is us--He wants us, not our gifts or merits. He wants us with all the wrinkles, blemishes, pimples, warts, bald-spots, missing teeth, eating disorders, disabilities, tears, and all our sins. We must come to Him as we are to get a changed life; we don't change our life and then come to Him for approval. Our righteousness is all as filthy rags (cf. Is. 64:6). We don't come for approval but for change! God can clean up our act and we can't. Who has anything that God should desire? God loves us despite all this and sees potential in us for His ultimate glory.
We must realize that God rewards us for what He has done through us: "... Since You have performed for us all our works" (Is. 26:12, NASB); "For I will not presume [venture] to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me..." (Rom. 15:18, NASB); "You who rejoice in Lodebar [naught], And say, "Have we not by our own strength [without God's] taken Karnaim for ourselves [they are boasting]?" (Amos 6:13, NASB); and "... From Me comes your fruit [fruitfulness]" (Hos. 14:8, NASB).
We were chosen according to His purpose and grace and according to the good pleasure of His will (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Eph. 1:5). I must emphasize: We don't impress God! It is grace that He even uses us as vessels of honor rather than vessels of dishonor. We fit into His plans; we don't fit Him into ours. The kind of sacrifice God wants is for us to live our lives for Jesus, but take up the cross and be willing to die too, if He wills.
Before we give our "offerings" we must first give of ourselves or they are worthless, because it is a privilege and honor to be used by God in giving offerings as sacrifices of worship. We come to Christ on His terms of absolute surrender to His Lordship and ownership of our lives, giving up the throne of our heart to Him so that He can live through us! Soli Deo Gloria!