The Christian walk is a journey on the road to Christlikeness. We are not where we should be, but thank God, we’re also not where we once were.
Romans 12:1-2 in the Amplified version of the bible reads as follows:
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you.
I love how it emphasizes the point that we are to present all of ourselves; mind, body and spirit, to God and His service. As believers, it is all too easy to compartmentalize our lives: Sunday is for church and on that day we put our best dress on and our best foot forward, only to step right back into the world on Monday. But God wants all of us; body, mind and spirit; Monday through Sunday.
When we are born again, it is a spiritual transformation, but God calls us to dedicate our minds and our bodies too.
Our minds are not our own. God wants us to present our minds as a living sacrifice to Him. Our minds are not given to us for our personal pursuit of entertainment, or achievement. What we think about matters to God. Philippians 4:8 urges us to think about things which are true, noble, right and admirable.
Likewise, our bodies are not our own. God wants us to use our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him. That means our bodies are neither given to us for our derision – and Psalm 139 reminds us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, nor for our personal pursuit of pleasure; they’re given to us to be sacrificed back to God. That’s certainly what Jesus modeled to us.
Romans 12 tells us that to present all of ourselves; mind, body and spirit, Monday through Sunday, is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. In light of what Jesus did for us on the cross, I couldn’t agree more.
