Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you take the words in this blog and breathe life into them. Apart from your anointing they are just words on a page lol. I ask that you quicken our hearts to hear, see, and act upon what you are trying to teach us by the Power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Romans 12:1-2 (NLT).
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is the way to worship Him. 2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
What the Word is Saying
In Romans 8 and 10 we learned that we have the power over sin in our lives, God has a plan for us, that nothing can separate us from God’s love, and that we are to confess our faith in Jesus and in turn bring the good news to those who have not yet heard it. Romans 12 is about how we are to live now that we have become His followers. We need not be concerned about falling away from Him for that issue is settled and He has promised to pursue when we fall. This chapter, however, is about how we should live in response to His unimaginable gift of salvation.
We received the free gift of salvation. This is not received because of anything we have done, are presently doing, or will do in the future. It is a gift, and we need only confess we believe and accept it. What a wonderful revelation to those of us who have been trapped in the past to legalism, but I digress. Once we receive the gift Paul tells us what we should do with it.
We are to give our bodies and dare I say lives to Him in worship to Him. We are grateful for the sacrifice He made and because of that we act accordingly. Think of it this way. Imagine that you are hanging on the edge of a cliff, and out of nowhere someone appears and grabs your hand and pulls you to safety. Think of the joy and relief you would feel. I can imagine hot tears streaming down my face as I think of what may have occurred if the person had not come along. I would be thanking them repeatedly, shaking their hand, and offering to do anything I could for them in the future. I addition I can see myself telling everyone I know and anyone I come across who would listen about the great gift I received on that day.
This is the same Gratitude or Worship we should have for Jesus, because He not only saved us from eternal death or separation from God but has given us the Holy Spirit in which to live differently today. He came along and saved us from ourselves. It seems that at the very least we should attempt to live for Him. What does that mean and how does that happen. Well todays scripture talks about a heart and mind change. I am reminded of a similar scripture in Ezekiel 36:26-27: “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” Again, what a promise. The father does heart surgery and changes us at the deepest level. No longer are we to have a hard heart, rather we have a soft heart that is responsive to His word and will. The Holy Spirit comes and lives inside us providing extra encouragement and motivation to live differently.
We no longer live according to the world and its devices. We are not trapped in its wrong thinking and unholy speech and thoughts. Rather we have a new standard or mantra that we live by. I remember when I was unsaved, I was angry at everything. I lived a life of hate. I thought doing drugs, drinking alcohol, and getting into trouble was cool. We would tell each other how cool our thinking was, and I can remember the sneers and incredulous looks I would get from others. I thought as the world thought so I spoke like the world speaks. One could say I “copied the behavior and customs of the world.” This is not surprising because I was “of” the world.
However, as todays scriptures tell us I am supposed to allow God to transform my mind and change the way I think. This is a daily process, but one God had gifted us to accomplish. When we do submit and allow Him to change us, we are changed but, perhaps just as importantly we find what is God’s perfect will for our lives. What a wonderful God we serve. He knows us better than anything else. In spite of our wayward hearts, he is continually changing us into the likeness of His Son. Perhaps just as importantly He has sent His Spirit into our lives to lead us into His will.
If you have not yet received Christ Jesus as your personal savior this does not apply to you. However, I have good news for you that can change right at this very moment. Pray this prayer with me right now, where you are, speak aloud: “Jesus I confess that you are the Lord of all, I believe that you came into this world, lived a sinless life, suffered and were put to death on a cross, they laid your broken body in a tomb, and three days later you rose again from the dead. I confess that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive my sins. I thank you that your death paid the penalty I deserved for my wrongs I committed. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit and that He would begin the process of changing me to make me more like you. In Jesus name, Amen. Now some of you are believers who have fell away from God’s plan in your life. I have good news for you as well. He is a loving Father who is waiting for you to turn back to Him. He will run out into the field to lift you up and restore you to your rightful place in Him. Seek Him now.
Thank you for joining me today as we explore God’s word together. I consider it a privilege to study it with you and provide a little insight into What the Word is Saying today!
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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