This is Your True and Proper Worship

“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.” ~Romans 12:1

The key phrase of this verse is “offer you bodies as a living sacrifice”. What does this mean - it seems like a contradiction. According to Webster, the definition of “sacrifice” is an act of offering to a deity something precious especially : the killing of a victim on an altar. But the Bible says a LIVING sacrifice. And our very own bodies are the ‘victims’.

But if we read further in Romans 12, we see that the next verse talks about a transformation from the ways of the world, to what is pleasing in God’s eyes. So we “kill our old self”, presenting a new and improved self, the new creation that Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.”

This verse ends with an extra punch…several other translations use “this is your reasonable worship”. So it is absolutely logical that we give back to God what He gifted us in the first place. Do we do this? In the present entitlement culture, I suspect we think more along the lines of “I deserve this”.

God, help us. Fill our hearts with gratitude and the willingness, even the eagerness, to listen for Your direction. To imitate the attitude of Jesus, to be the light that You designed us to be. Thank you! Amen.

Have a blessed day!

Bonnie
Blessed Be Boutique

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