How can I be a living sacrifice unto God? What is conforming to this world’s standards? Is it possible for my mind to be transformed?
Romans 12:1 “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”.
Romans 12:2 “And 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”.
In the first verse of the 12th chapter of Romans, the apostle Paul urges the brethren to honour God with their bodies. This is a message that is still relevant to us living today in the 21st century. If our bodies are the Temple of the Most High God, we must present them holy, and acceptable unto Him. Many folks in today’s society claim that their bodies are their own and so they can do as they please with it. The fact is though, that these bodies which we occupy were bought with a price and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, they are on loan from God and should be treated as such; we must use them in a manner that would glorify Him at all times.
How Can I Be a Living Sacrifice?
Paul tells us “by the mercies of God, that ye resent your bodies a living sacrifice”. These words have powerful meaning to the Christian. Firstly, the mercies of God are too numerous to mention. By you waking up every morning and being able to do every-day activities, you are experiencing the mercy of God. We, holy as we try to be, are nothing more that dirty, wretched sinners whose human instinct is to go against God. That’s what sin is: it stands in complete opposition to the Living God as it seeks to break and compromise His Holy Law. Sin is transgression of the Law, and we as humans being born in sin and shaped in iniquity cannot help, because of our nature, to sin. Praise God for grace! When we call on Jesus, we are able to overcome sin, experience grace and live as He would want us to. Protection from danger, loving you even when you purposefully do wrong and, keeping you in good health can all be classified under “the mercies of God”. Paul now says, when you’ve realized how awesome and vast His mercies are to you, that you must present your body a LIVING sacrifice. A living sacrifice would be something that has life and is acceptable and holy unto God. In Old Testament times, the Prophets would often kill sheep and lambs-dead- and offer them as sacrifices unto God. Jesus wants us to be the exact opposite. He wants to treat and use our bodies as a living sacrifice, one that has movement, so others can see how we act and be encouraged to act in like manner. The living sacrifice can still honour God, but it can be used more than once, if you present your bodies a living sacrifice you can share God’s love with everyone you come into contact with. Ponder this:
Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world…”
When you present you bodies as a living sacrifice, you will not want to do anything to it or put anything into it that will bring harm to it, as it is the Temple of the Living God. When the pressure comes to have pre-marital sex, use drugs, participate in the consumption of alcohol, and even partake in food that will knowingly do damage to your body, you will be able to stand and say “No, this body is God’s own, and I must treat it that way!”. As you do this, you will be the light of the world and the salt of the earth Jesus talked about in Matthew 5 and others will want to follow the same pattern. You see, Jesus told us in John 12:32 that when He is lifted up, ALL men will be drawn unto Him. So when you decide to swim against the tide, be different from everyone else and present you body as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God because you have upheld the standards He has outlined in His Word, others will applaud this behavior and will be able to do nothing but to see the good in what you’re doing and follow your actions as you follow Jesus’! The only way to become a living sacrifice is to submit yourself totally to God, pray, and be determines; He will then empower you to overcome the snares of the devil and will allow you to show His love with those around you. Remember, we can do ALL things through Christ!
Are you presenting your body as a living sacrifice unto God?
Don’t Conform to the World’s Standards
Jesus made it plain in His Word that light and darkness cannot mix. Therefore, the Christian must never lower his or her standards to that of the secular world. We must in all things, truly put God first and look at the situations we find ourselves in from His perspective. There is a dark, demon-filled world out there and we cannot allow it’s attractive outside appearance to cause us to be caught in a web of sin and sorrow that can be difficult to get out of. Today’s society is all about ‘fitting in’ and being ‘accepted’ but as followers of Christ we are called to stand out, to be different, to be a peculiar people and never to conform or go backward on what we believe. The word conform means “to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of a society or a group”. This suggests that the standard of God and the standard of the world are light years apart and the apostle encourages us not to be conformed or act in accordance with the prevailing trends we see around us, but to stand out and be a beacon of light in a cold, dark world. Ponder these verses of Scripture:
Matthew 7: 13 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Matthew 7:14 “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it”.
This is the reason God doesn’t want us to conform; the world allows so many ‘little’ lies and errors to be wrought into its perception and thought, that it corrupts the plain truth! We must be diligent as citizens of the Kingdom here on earth and not be pulled in by the snares of the world. How can it be that Christians claim they believe they were created by God, and then say they also believe in evolution? How can Christians claim that the consumption of alcohol is something that Jesus, the Saviour of this world partook in? How can we say that God’s Law has been changed or nullified? The answer is simple: conformity. The world has planted the little seed of doubt in our minds that there might not even be a creator God and the thought, subtle though it is, has placed itself in the back of our minds. Pastors, Priests, and Christians out drinking alcohol the night before Church and then going to praise the Living God the next morning at a worship service- it’s all conformity! Jesus Christ, the one who’s Blood means life for the Christian did not use fermented grape juice that would be of damage to the bodies of the ones who drank, He’s God! The breaking down and decaying process of the grape is what caused fermentation, where is the life in that? He told in His Word through the Psalmist David years ago that those who are deceived by alcohol are unwise; it is something that followers of Christ should not partake in! How many deaths, unwanted pregnancies and sorrowful tragedies have been caused by this one addictive substance? The answer is that it’s too numerous to mention. People say God’s Law has been done away with or changed; this cannot be so… stop conforming! Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever according to Hebrews 13:8 and throughout His Word He repeatedly states that His 10 Commandments will stand forever, they are the standard in which we should live by. We’ve got to get out of this habit of trying to fit in with everybody else and practicing certain things just because everyone else is doing it. Because it feels good now, doesn’t mean it will profit you in the long run. We must stay close to God now, because only in Him can we find refuge and strength. The world offers you no protection. Think of the Prodigal Son, the world offered him its luxurious lifestyle for a while, but in the end he was sucked dry and left in such a low state, he ended up eating pig’s feed. Never dance with the devil, you can’t move like him! We must take the name ‘Christian’ with pride and honour God in all we say, do, and even how we think. Jesus told us to be in the world, but not of the world and offers us to enter through the straight gate and the narrow way, one with standards and one where you cannot act any old way you feel… entering through this gate will lead to Eternal Life. The broad road may seem to have its advantages now but it is all a delusion: the end result of following this path is destruction. Jesus calls us to be different, not to conform, but to be transformed today!
Have you been conforming?
Be A Transformer
Finally, the apostle Paul encourages us, after we have resisted conforming to the worlds standards, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we might prove what is the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God. The word means “to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose”. Unlike the world ‘conform’, this world called ‘transform’ does not take on such a negative connotation. You see conforming has to do with swimming with the tide and adjusting your temperature according to the temperature around you; transformation however is a change that is not stirred by your external environment but by something from within that causes you to adjust to different situations as needed. Paul says that we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Yes, it is possible for the mind to be transformed and renewed! To renew your mind, you must be careful of the things you watch, listen to, and the activities you engage in. The only way to renew the mind is to heed the charge of Philippians 2:5 and let the same mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus! You must think as he thought, and approach situations you face in life with a humble, and loving approach. We cannot let the devil sneak into our train of thought; beware of the things we engage our minds in! Satan is a very cunning individual, and he will use his subtly to try and discourage you, make you feel like nothing and ultimately lead you in the totally opposite direction from the one God had planned for your life. We must continue to let God lead in our lives and be converted from conformity and be enlightened to transformation. Ponder:
Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.
Here we are charged to seek first God’s Kingdom before worrying about the stresses of life and downgrading ourselves by conforming to the standards and practices, of this cruel, cold world. This is a call for transformation! We must be bold for what we believe in and seek to fulfill the purpose that God has for our lives. That’s why when folk ask us why we follow certain religious practices, or pressure us just to ‘have a little fun’ that will be of ‘no harm’ to us, and you know it is wrong, instead of being molded by the peer pressure and conforming to and accepting their request we can be transformers because our minds would have been renewed and say ‘No, God would not want me doing such a thing!’. Just like transformers in the movies, when faced with trouble we will not give in and show our human weakness, but we will change our structure from within, stand up for the standard of the Living God, and be justified in doing so! God loves when we are transformers. Then He will show us His perfect, good, and acceptable will for our lives, all we have to do is ask Him to tell us. When you become a transformer you will be able to show by your fruits that you truly love God with all your mind, soul, and strength and He will reveal to you His perfect and acceptable will. You will be able to walk in the pathway God has designed for you and you will have a peace in your heart that only you and God will have knowledge of. You will be able to truly be an ambassador for the Lord Jesus because with a transformed mind, the devil will have no power! Let us endeavour to be thermostats, ones who set the temperature for those around them-transformers- and not thermometers, those who simply become hot or cold, depending on their external environments-conformers. Be a transformer today!
In conclusion, the apostle Paul encourages the brethren-us- to honour God with our bodies -in essence becoming living sacrifices and also to stand firm for God in such a troubled world and not be conformed or be molded into its shape; don’t engage in its practices. He then encourages us, after we have presented our bodies living sacrifices to God and after we have not been changed by the world’s influence, to be transformers. We must be able to lift up Jesus in times when others seek to put Him down, and when the devil brings his subtle temptations, we can transform because our mind would have been filled with Christ’s love, and fend off his attack. Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus! How sweet it is to represent Him and obey His Word! Praise God for the transformers!
Are you a transformer?
God bless you!
