“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies 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
Like Chapter 8, Romans Chapter 12 is another Biblical Hallmark. It too, for many years, has been one of my favorite Chapters in the Bible. If there’s anything that summarizes the “Essence” of the Christian Life, it’s this Chapter. It’s as if Paul has just concluded his 11 Chapter sermon and says, “and now,…the Application”! Here are a Few Reflections from Today’s Verses:
First, “I urge you”. I Plead; I Beg; I Beseech; YOU. If this is not Urgent, I don’t know what is! To DO Two Things! Be A Sacrifice, and, Don’t Be Conformed!!! And not just “Any Sacrifice”, a “Living” One! Which is why he uses the Verb, “Present”. You are not a Dead Sacrifice that a Priest if offering up on your behalf. YOU must do it! And “Be Not Conformed”! To What? TO THIS WORLD!!! Consider the Radical Nature of this Command! Everything that we see around us, and that we live in, We Are Not To Be Conformed To!!! Rather, We are to be Transformed into “What” pleases God!
I could elaborate more, but suffice just these 2 Questions; Is this true for us today? Are you on that Altar, God’s Fire consuming that which is not like Christ? Are you being Transformed from that which is like the World into that which is like Christ?