The Reason Why
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and prove what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will" —Romans 12:1, 2
How does worship express itself? If you pay any attention to the so-called "worship wars" (though that term seems like an oxymoron to me), many people define worship in terms of forms and traditions.
Worship, writes Paul, is a personal sacrificial act of complete commitment to God.
I chuckle at the order of Paul's words as he explains what he means. "Offer your bodies", he writes, putting to death the idea that I can preserve my spiritual integrity (my mind and my soul) even when my body is somewhere it shouldn't be, doing something it might be better off not doing.
Unless someone knows how to separate the body from the mind, they always go together. What effects one will have to influence the other in some way.
To prevent any misunderstanding he quickly adds: "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." When the mind is not subject to the transforming power of Christ and his Word, the body is certain to be abused. Where the mind goes the body will soon follow. An mind unchanged by God soon urges the body to slip off the altar.
Without the complete commitment to God, it will be difficult, if not impossible to know God's mind, to feel his heart, to discern his will.
The motivation behind this sacrificial act of worship is essential to its success. Paul tells us that is based on what we know of "God's mercy." As we contemplate what God did for us and understand all of the implications to him in designing a plan for our rescue and carrying it out, despite us, we can't help but run eagerly toward that altar, intent on worshiping him with every part of our being, with every act, and with every word.
It's just reasonable.
How does worship express itself? If you pay any attention to the so-called "worship wars" (though that term seems like an oxymoron to me), many people define worship in terms of forms and traditions.
Worship, writes Paul, is a personal sacrificial act of complete commitment to God.
I chuckle at the order of Paul's words as he explains what he means. "Offer your bodies", he writes, putting to death the idea that I can preserve my spiritual integrity (my mind and my soul) even when my body is somewhere it shouldn't be, doing something it might be better off not doing.
Unless someone knows how to separate the body from the mind, they always go together. What effects one will have to influence the other in some way.
To prevent any misunderstanding he quickly adds: "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." When the mind is not subject to the transforming power of Christ and his Word, the body is certain to be abused. Where the mind goes the body will soon follow. An mind unchanged by God soon urges the body to slip off the altar.
Without the complete commitment to God, it will be difficult, if not impossible to know God's mind, to feel his heart, to discern his will.
The motivation behind this sacrificial act of worship is essential to its success. Paul tells us that is based on what we know of "God's mercy." As we contemplate what God did for us and understand all of the implications to him in designing a plan for our rescue and carrying it out, despite us, we can't help but run eagerly toward that altar, intent on worshiping him with every part of our being, with every act, and with every word.
It's just reasonable.
I love the "reasonable" in this passage. It's so true. Thanks for this, my friend!
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