Romans 12
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 NIV
Take a moment to stop and think (or even make a list) of all God has done for you. When you add it all up, isn’t it astounding?! It should make you want to praise Him. It should make you want to serve Him. It should make you want to obey Him. Paul says that it should even lead to you dedicating your entire life as a living sacrifice to God. What is a living sacrifice? It is when a believer of Christ allows him/herself to be used by God for His purpose and His good. What does this look like practically? Paul describes it very simply in verse 2: Resist the allure of what the world desires, and allow ourselves to be truly changed into the people of God that we were meant to be. Once we are completely transformed, our desires will line up with what God desires. 1 John 2:16 clearly delineates what we are to avoid in the world: “For everything in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16). The lust of the flesh includes everything that appeals to our appetites and involves excessive desires for food, drink, sex, and anything else that satisfies physical needs. The lust of the eyes includes wanting material things, as well as coveting and envying what others have. The pride of life is anything that leads to arrogance, pride or boasting. We become living sacrifices for God by CHOOSING to avoid and resist these things in the world. When you think about it, is it really that big of a sacrifice to stay away from such things? No! We probably all agree that we are better off avoiding these things in the world….but it isn’t always that easy. How can believers renew their minds and NOT be conformed to the world? The best way is through God’s Word! We need to listen to it, read it, study it, meditate on it, and memorize it. “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it…” (Revelation 1:3). We also have the Holy Spirit, who will enlighten the Word of God for us, and help it to transform us from worldliness into true followers of Jesus. It is when this happens that we have truly sacrificed our lives for Him, and we can then get ready for an outpouring of blessings, both earthly and eternal.