Living Sacrifice? Romans 12:1

Have you ever wondered why things are as they are? Things like… how does  grass stand so tall, and why is it green? How do the clouds get their perfectly puffed design and what holds them in place? How do the stars light up the night? How does my body work…there are so many functions, and it works without me consciously telling it to! We know the “correct” spiritual answer to these questions, but have we made the answer our living reality? Do we believe God is as BIG as He says He is?

This week we will be in Romans chapter 12. But, before we can dive into chapter twelve, let’s back up to the last few verses of 11. We are doing this because chapter 12 starts with a “therefore”, and we need to determine what it is there for!

” Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

Now on to chapter 12…..

Today’s Truth: Romans 12:1

“Therefore, I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Things are the way they are because…from him and through him and to him are all things! He is the beginning and the end. He holds the grass tall and places the clouds in the sky, as well as lighting each star. He also holds us together.

What are we to do in response to such a BIG God? Paul is urging us, as believers in Christ, to stay connected with the reality of God’s love and mercy towards us, and in response surrender our lives as an offering to Him.

More specifically to offer our physical selves to God, our bodies and all its faculties….surrendered over to the God who made us , loves us, has forgiven us and who presently holds us together.

Why is this so hard? This is our starting point, but many of us don’t get past the start gate, do we? Our bodies, our physical selves feel like they should belong to us, and the idea of just giving them over to God…well, seems a bit unpractical. That is, until we realize that this IS the starting point.

This past year my Dr. kept trying to get me to take a certain drug and I refused. I did not want the side effects, which we can all understand. After all who wants to gain weight, be depressed, etc….But, I never got better. Finally in desperation, I listened to my Dr, offered my self to God, and took the medicine. It was a short period of time, and the medicine worked. I also had to committ any side effects to God, trusting Him. And, I had none!

How does this pertain to a surrender of our life to God? Well, I thought, because I didn’t want to take the meds, I didn’t have to. But, truth is, my body belongs to God, was ill and not recovering, and I needed to be responsible and trust God. I had a need to get better, listen to wisdom and trust God with the outcome. Instead, for months I kept myself in my own hands, in this one particular area. Maybe you can relate to this…perhaps you have diabetes but still eat all the sugar you want, or have high blood pressure and still eat tons of salt.  Or maybe you never move your body, to keep it strong. Maybe you have never worked on that extra baby weight, and are not as physical as you could be if you had…it goes on and on and on.

What is the sacrifice that is a Spiritual Act of Worship? It is an intentional surrendering of our SELF , as we know it, to the God who made us. It is coming into agreement with His word, that says we don’t belong to ourselves anyway….

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Today let’s reflect on this thought of giving our lives completely over to God as a surrender, and yes…a sacrifice. This is truly  WILD living, in a world that says we belong to ourselves, and presents a menu of choice of how we can BE our best selves. What if we could NOT really be our best selves until we made that sacrifice of surrendering our bodies, and all of us, to the God who made us? Think about that today and let God speak to your heart.

Today’s Prayer

Lord, you made me and though I often think I am my OWN, I really am not. Teach me to live as one who no longer is about SELF, but as one who is about the God who made her, for his purposes. Only then, can I become my BEST self, as you develop me along the lines of your Son, and your plan for my individual life. Show me what the  sacrifice of giving myself to you , looks like.