I learned a new vocabulary word this morning. It was in a book I was reading. The word was “proffer”. Honestly, I’m embarrassed to say, I thought it was a typo. I had never heard the word before. So I googled it, and sure enough it IS a word. And I liked it’s meaning…
Proffer – “to present for acceptance”. A different variation of the word “offer”. A deliberate offering of something to another.
Proffer – It’s what Jesus did for us by going to the cross and giving His life for us. He offered, or proffered, Himself to us. He presented His offer of life to us for our acceptance.
Proffer – It’s what we are asked to do. To give ourselves, our lives, who we are back to God. Once we accept the gift of life that He has proffered, our response should be to proffer all that we are back to Him. It’s an offer He won’t refuse…It’s the offering He’s been waiting for.
Proffer – As our lives are given over to God and dedicated to His amazing plan, then the natural result of that will be that we will find ourselves proffering all that we’ve received from Him to the people we come in contact with every day. We will want to draw them in to the bounty we’ve experienced. To share the wealth. We will offer them not only the gift we’ve received, but also a portion of our hearts, our time, our resources.
I have one more word to add to my vocabulary list today. I think I’ll keep this one near the top. A good reminder of what Jesus has done for me. And a word that I hope will become part of who I am inside and out – a life offered to God and to others every single day…
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave (proffered) his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 6:23 – …but the gift of God (proffered) is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer (proffer) your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.
