Twin City church of Christ Blog
“Sept 2, 2024 - A Living Sacrifice”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsA Living Sacrifice
Reading: Romans 12:1-8
Paul transitions from his deep theology to more practical considerations here. “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”(Rom 12:1). Because God has shown such mercy to us in Jesus, we respond with devoted service. Like an ancient worshiper bringing an animal to the altar, we present our bodies (see Rom 6:13, 16) to God as an ongoing sacrifice. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”(Rom 12:2). As we remember our shameful past in sin, we reject the world and its ways and seek new ways of thinking and viewing the world. Incapable of renewing our own minds, we allow God to daily refresh, rewire, and reshape our thoughts. As we live this new perspective, we confirm that God’s way is “good and acceptable and perfect.”
Part of that renewal is humility. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned”(Rom 12:3). Our sin and need for a savior remind us that we are not that great. Instead, we acknowledge the gifts that we have “differ according to the grace given to us”(Rom 12:6). None of us is a self-made man or woman. None of us has precisely the same gifts as anyone else. Rather than gloating or comparing, we use our gifts with gusto: prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, contributing, leading, showing mercy. By employing our talents to bless others and honor God, we offer up a living sacrifice to him.
The animals Jewish worshipers offered to God were killed; Paul urges us to devote our bodies to God as a “living sacrifice.” Every dimension of our lives—thinking, attitudes, words, relationships, behaviors, gifts—we devote to God. Everything reflects our allegiance to him. This is the only appropriate response to “the mercies of God.”
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One Thing to Think About: How will I use my body to serve God today?
One Thing to Pray For: Awareness of my gifts and a heart to use them for others
