Passage:

Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:1-2‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/2692/rom.12.2.NASB2020

Paraphrase:

I’m begging you all, church, because of God’s great mercies, give yourself physically to God as a “living sacrifice”. Present yourself, holy and acceptable to Him which is the least you can do as a spiritual act of worship. Don’t be pressed into the mold of this world but be transformed in your way of thinking and how you live in the world, so you can accomplish God’ s good and perfect will.

Promises:

God’s will can be done through us.

Principles:

Presenting ourselves to God as a living sacrifice allows to us to be able to accomplish His will.

We can have a renewed mind and therefore not only think differently but live differently.

We are being pressed into someone’s image. Is it Jesus’?

God has been merciful to us, let’s not take that for granted.

The gift God wants is the gift of ourselves.

Praise:

praise God for His mercies, which are new every morning. Praise God for His long suffering and patience. Praise God for His willingness to use me and to transform me.

Prayer:

Dear God. Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for not dispensing your wrath but your mercies each and everyday. You have been so good to me. Help me to be a living sacrifice and allow my mind and body to be instruments you use to advance your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Sobeit.

Practice:

Giving myself, heart, mind, body, soul unto God.

Preserve:

What I do in my body affects how I’m growing spiritually.

The mind can be renewed which will affect how I live.

Parallel:

2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 2 Corinthians 5

Points:

Passion: urging by the mercies of God.
Present: as in now, time, also as in giving “to present” also as in gift, a “present”.
Perspective: the way we look at ourselves, think about ourselves. What God wants us to think and how to live: not of this world but as though from another.
Prove: we can demonstrate God’s will. God’s will is doable…it’s not too hard when we live as God wants. When we die to self, dead people make no decisions.

Ponder:

Have I presented myself as a living sacrifice to God? Do I do it each and everyday?

Why is Paul urging them so strongly?

How does the renewing of my mind affect the renewing of my own passion, or the accomplishing of God’s Will?

How have I allowed the world to press me into its mold?

Is there anyway I have adopted to operate the way the world does which is in opposition to the way God works?

Pins:

livingsacrifice, renewal, changeyourmind, Romans12,