Romans 12:1-2: “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. 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.”
I can remember memorizing Romans 12:1-2, when I was in sixth grade and I was in our youth group in the church I grew up in, in Sheldon, Iowa. The Youth Group was supposed to be for those in junior high and high school, but I was allowed to come as a sixth grader due to the small size of attendees in that age bracket within our church. It was a big deal for me as a sixth grader. I remember these verses that we each memorized made an impression on me, as Romans 12:1-2 is an encapsulation of what it means to live in a way that pleases God, which is:
- Embrace what God is doing and working in your life.
- Use discernment in not being merely a follower of our current culture without examining it against God’s laws, for God’s laws do not change. Test it for approval.
- Let God change the way you think. Let His Word transform you into being progressively changed for His glory. Ask God to help you see things as He sees them.
- Renew your mind by feeding on His Word so you can determine what God’s will is for you.
- Let the Holy Spirit be your counselor; give you courage, comfort, hope, and a positive perspective.
I love The Message version of Romans 12:1-2: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
Our every day, typical, familiar, prevailing, regular routine, day in and day out needs to honor God’s character. I had to think about my sleeping being placed before God as an offering. When I wake up at night I should use that time to pray for the needs of others more. I also want my workplace skills, to be of benefit for the company and people I work alongside and mentor. That is also a means of worshipping God. If you are a person in the workplace you can use your professional skills to meet the needs of others. People learn about Jesus from someone who cares deeply about them.
Every morning when I get up, I write down on a piece of paper: “My Plans For Today. God?” I am amazed when I read the following morning, yesterday’s list, how my day changed from what I initially thought was important. Some tasks didn’t get done, and others popped up unexpectedly. But I know it is all under God’s control, as I place it up to God as an offering, for my heavenly Father to decide what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Every day is a worship experience with God when your whole ordinary life is yielded to the Lord. Warren Wiersbe has said: “If the world controls your thinking, you are a conformer; if God controls your thinking you are a transformer.” God will bring out the best in you in the end as you present to Him your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, and will develop maturity in ways you hadn’t expected. You will then have developed a stronger faith and trust in God, learning wisdom, knowledge of God, endurance, perseverance, and hope.
How has God helped you to trust Him more this past month?
Listen to Newsboys YouTube song Symphony from their new album United.