"Therefore, brother and sisters, by the mercies of God,
I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God;
This is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may discern what is the good,
pleasing,
and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:1-2
Paul urges us to be a living sacrifice.
Not a dead sacrifice like the offerings given in the old testament.
But a living sacrifice.
Earlier in Romans Paul talks about the difference between the "spirit" and the "flesh."
(That is a very common Pauline theme.)
Things of the flesh are the worldly things: food, shelter, clothing, money, i.e. anything material or that is desired...selfish.
Things of the spirit are otherworldly things: your heart, soul, mind, attitude, i.e. anything not tangible that creates the complete picture of you...unselfish.
Focusing on things of the flesh will lead to sin and death.
Focusing on things of the spirit will lead to eternal life and God.
SO... when Paul says that you need to be a "living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God,"
then you are dying to your selfishness- that is what is being sacrificed-
and living a life focused on the internal rather than the external, living for others and not yourself.
Which means doing what you should be doing rather than what you want to be doing...
at least, at first.
For example, I hate waking up early. I am a night owl. I am grumpy waking up before 9 am. There are some people who do it naturally, and I think kudos to them, I'd rather be in bed.
My cat, however, wakes up very early, and gets hungry at about 6 am every day.
He persistently tries to wake me up by nuzzling my face (very cute other times of the day), nipping at my fingers, and walking on my immobile body.
I would rather sleep, but I know that it is necessary to feed my cat.
I also know that on the rare occasion I do wake up early, I actually exercise, play with my dog, eat breakfast, spend the morning in prayer, journal, and have time to get ready for work instead of skipping all that and running out the door with a piece of toast in my mouth or racking up my tab at Starbucks (even when I can't afford to go there).
However, even though waking up early is a sacrifice I make grumpily the first few days, I know God is pleased because I make time to talk to Him in the morning. I get more things done.
And I appreciate the beautiful sunrise.
The cool weather.
Having more time in my day.
The things that were once a burden because I was sacrificing sleep became a pleasure because I was focusing on God rather than myself.
By living for God, He can transform your life.
Renew your mind.
Change your heart.
Make yourself a living sacrifice, and God will show you how to truly live.
Grace and Peace,
Virginia
I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God;
This is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may discern what is the good,
pleasing,
and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:1-2
Paul urges us to be a living sacrifice.
Not a dead sacrifice like the offerings given in the old testament.
But a living sacrifice.
Earlier in Romans Paul talks about the difference between the "spirit" and the "flesh."
(That is a very common Pauline theme.)
Things of the flesh are the worldly things: food, shelter, clothing, money, i.e. anything material or that is desired...selfish.
Things of the spirit are otherworldly things: your heart, soul, mind, attitude, i.e. anything not tangible that creates the complete picture of you...unselfish.
Focusing on things of the flesh will lead to sin and death.
Focusing on things of the spirit will lead to eternal life and God.
SO... when Paul says that you need to be a "living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God,"
then you are dying to your selfishness- that is what is being sacrificed-
and living a life focused on the internal rather than the external, living for others and not yourself.
Which means doing what you should be doing rather than what you want to be doing...
at least, at first.
For example, I hate waking up early. I am a night owl. I am grumpy waking up before 9 am. There are some people who do it naturally, and I think kudos to them, I'd rather be in bed.
My cat, however, wakes up very early, and gets hungry at about 6 am every day.
He persistently tries to wake me up by nuzzling my face (very cute other times of the day), nipping at my fingers, and walking on my immobile body.
I would rather sleep, but I know that it is necessary to feed my cat.
I also know that on the rare occasion I do wake up early, I actually exercise, play with my dog, eat breakfast, spend the morning in prayer, journal, and have time to get ready for work instead of skipping all that and running out the door with a piece of toast in my mouth or racking up my tab at Starbucks (even when I can't afford to go there).
However, even though waking up early is a sacrifice I make grumpily the first few days, I know God is pleased because I make time to talk to Him in the morning. I get more things done.
And I appreciate the beautiful sunrise.
The cool weather.
Having more time in my day.
The things that were once a burden because I was sacrificing sleep became a pleasure because I was focusing on God rather than myself.
By living for God, He can transform your life.
Renew your mind.
Change your heart.
Make yourself a living sacrifice, and God will show you how to truly live.
Grace and Peace,
Virginia
