Each day, believers are called to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, following the example of Jesus who gave up His body on the cross for our sins. This means daily denying the desires of the flesh, reckoning ourselves crucified with Christ, and allowing Him to live and reign in us. As we wake up each morning, we are invited to surrender our physical selves—our actions, habits, and choices—to God, trusting that in doing so, we are set free from the power of sin and enabled to live for His purposes. This daily act of surrender is not about self-punishment, but about experiencing the life of Christ within us, shaping how we interact with family, work, and the world around us. [17:36]
Romans 12:1 (ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Reflection: What is one specific way you can offer your body as a living sacrifice to God today—perhaps in your work, your words, or your habits?
Jesus surrendered His right to control, submitting to the Father’s will even unto death, and in doing so, He invites us to let Him truly reign as King in our lives. While the world resists being ruled and our own hearts often want to be in control, true transformation comes when we allow Jesus to sit on the throne of our hearts. This means surrendering our will, our plans, and our desire to be in charge, so that His purposes and character shape our decisions and relationships. When we let Jesus reign, we not only find peace and purpose, but we also receive the promise of reigning with Him in His eternal kingdom. [25:35]
Hebrews 12:28 (ESV)
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.
Reflection: In what area of your life are you still holding onto control, and how can you invite Jesus to truly reign as King in that area today?
Jesus gave up His possessions—even the clothes on His back—so that others might be comforted, modeling for us a life of radical generosity and stewardship. Recognizing that all we have belongs to God, we are called to be conduits of His blessings, ready to meet the needs of others rather than clinging tightly to what we own. True generosity flows from a heart that has died to self and is alive to Christ, understanding that our possessions are temporary and meant to be used for God’s purposes. As stewards, we are invited to look for opportunities to give, comfort, and bless others, trusting that God will provide for our needs as we care for those around us. [30:44]
1 Timothy 6:7 (ESV)
For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
Reflection: Who is someone in your life you can comfort or bless today by sharing what God has given you—whether it’s your time, resources, or encouragement?
On the cross, Jesus gave up His earthly relationships to create new ones, forming a new spiritual family among His followers. As believers, we are invited into this family, where we become brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers to one another, united not by blood but by faith in Christ. This new community is a place of belonging, support, and love, where we care for each other’s needs and grow together in faith. Embracing the family of God means investing in relationships within the church, seeing fellow believers as true family, and being willing to both give and receive care, encouragement, and accountability. [35:50]
Matthew 12:49-50 (ESV)
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Reflection: How can you intentionally build or strengthen a relationship with someone in your church family this week, treating them as true family in Christ?
Jesus gave up His life to conquer death, declaring “It is finished” and completing the work of salvation so that we might have eternal life. There is nothing we can add to His finished work; our debt is paid in full. Yet, we are called not only to believe in the gospel but to live it out—dying to ourselves daily so that others may live, sharing the hope of Christ, and serving as His hands and feet in the world. Resting in what Jesus has done frees us from striving and empowers us to live boldly and sacrificially for Him, knowing that our salvation is secure and our lives have eternal purpose. [41:11]
John 19:30 (ESV)
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Reflection: What is one way you can live out the reality of Christ’s finished work today—by serving, sharing the gospel, or letting go of guilt and resting in His grace?
In John 19:17-30, the glory of Jesus is revealed not in triumph or splendor, but in the depths of his suffering on the cross. In these six hours, the entire plan of salvation, prophesied for centuries, is accomplished. Jesus, the true Passover Lamb, is crucified at the very hour the sacrificial lambs were slain, fulfilling every detail of God’s redemptive design. The cross is not just a historical event, but the very foundation of our faith—secure, sufficient, and complete. There is nothing we can add to what Christ has done; salvation is God’s work from beginning to end.
Yet, the call is not only to believe in what Jesus has done, but to live it out daily. Jesus gave up everything—his body, his will, his possessions, his relationships, and ultimately his life—so that we might have everything in him. Each of these sacrifices points us to a way of living: offering our bodies as living sacrifices, surrendering our will so that Christ may reign as King in our hearts, holding our possessions loosely as stewards rather than owners, embracing the new family God gives us in the church, and dying to ourselves so that others might live.
The cross is not just about forgiveness and eternal life, but about transformation here and now. As we reckon ourselves crucified with Christ, we are freed from the tyranny of self and empowered to serve, give, and love as he did. The shame and suffering of the cross become the means by which God forms a new community—a family bound not by blood, but by the Spirit. In Christ, we are called to a life that reflects his sacrificial love, generosity, and humility. The work is finished; our part is to live in the reality of what he has accomplished, letting his life flow through us to the world.
John 19:17-30 (ESV) — So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
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