As I have been studying through the Book of Romans, I was looking forward to arriving at chapter twelve. Now of course the whole book is one of my favorite parts of God’s Word to spend my devotional time in. Paul, as he writes Romans is presenting the challenge and love that God has set forth before His people, while at the same time, we are presented with perhaps Paul’s most in depth look and presentation of doctrine for God’s people. For our time here I am looking at the first three verses.
I look at Romans 12:1 and am always struck by the heart of Paul for the people of God. I look at the word “urge” and cannot help but look at how I might use the action associated with the word in my life. How is it that you see it in your life? I find that the urging of others, that I participate in, is often an action that involves me looking for something that would benefit me. Paul does exactly that, except he is doing as a Kingdom servant – the benefit to him is that Kingdom work will have more participants, and thus more will come into a relationship that saves them (the saving relationship which is the only way to heaven – Jesus) and will ultimately bring glory to God. Really, this is so simple in all that it entails is to put our desires and our wishes to death. Paul is not talking about sacrificing a couple hours a week to serve on a Sunday, but a whole life altering change in the way we live. Let me ask a question and please honor it honestly – Are all of us sacrificing everything to God or is our faith still about my desires, my wants, my hangups and my way? Does our life match the description given here – “present your bodies a holy and living sacrifice to God?” I find that in my devotional time, when I come to this verse I am refreshed and reenergized in my service to the Lord. I want to be pushed more and more in my spiritual service of worship.
Verse two has always heightened my motivation in serving the Lord. Think about when we let our minds get kind of mushy and stale. I would think that happens when we binge on mindless television shows, watch too much cable news, or in the case of some getting bogged down on mindless video games. Could that be what Paul is addressing when he writes, “do not be conformed to this world?” My greatest time of renewal is always found when I have my devotional time in the Word of God. Sometimes it is one verse that I stay on while other times I spend hours reading an entire book of the Bible. I always try to seek the Holy Spirit’s leading as I seek to move my mind out of conformity with the world. Because we know that when we stop conforming than the Lord does His great transforming. Do we not all need that fresh look at what the will of God is for our lives? Have we not got caught up in the tradition of our faith, the fact that our ways are the best ways, or that great mentality of, “well we have always done it that way.” The reason that Paul was penning this letter to the Roman church was that they were somewhat caught up in traditional religion and were looking for the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When we let the Holy Spirit transforming power have His way in us, we move out of the spirit of self and can again operate in the spirit of God’s grace and mercy. I know that the only way for me to operate even slightly in a holy and perfect way is to operate in the Will of Almighty God.