Living Sacrifice

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romand 12:1-2

            These verses are so packed full of meaning and importance and they are applicable to every Christian’s everyday life so here are some quick thoughts. We are a chosen people and Romans 12:1-2 discusses how are supposed to live because of the mercy of God in our lives. The humbling truth found in this passage is that we are supposed to do everything in our lives as an act of worship to our God and purposefully remain separate from the worldly ways around us. By sacrificing friends or time I can see how every sacrifice is really an act of worship.

The first thing I see is that we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. This is interesting because Jesus already offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice to take our sin upon His back and cleanse us. Thus we do not need to sacrifice ourselves for our salvation, rather as Christians we are to continue as living sacrifices, giving up rights and desires in service to Christ. This does not mean the we should deny ourselves things for no reason because it is “godly” but rather this means that we ought to always choose to get rid of anything in our lives that comes between us and our relationship with Christ.

Verse two begins by reminding us that we are not supposed to be conformed to the world. We are supposed to be obviously separate and different. We are image-bearers of our God and we must act as such. The good news is we do not have to do this in our own strength! He is the one who will transform us and renew our mind. Sometimes the world’s ways can seem very enticing, but Paul reminds us that through transformation in Christ He will show us what is His “good, pleasing, and perfect” way.

Yes this passage definitely rings true in my life. It reminds me of the sermon in church last where our pastor asked us to consider whether we were more concerned about His glory or our own security. In the past I have given up friendships or opportunities for friendships because they were not godly relationships and I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my values. While I have not had to suffer anything harsh for my faith in Christ yet I do know that it will happen. Sometimes even little things like choosing to have your quiet time instead of scroll through instagram are a part of not conforming to the world’s ways and ideas of what is important. As Christians we often end up standing alone, however this verse also encourages me because it gives me confidence in His will. Being a living sacrifice means living every moment as an act of worship.