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
I want to focus in on the words “offer your bodies.” The first thing we need to understand is the that the word for ‘body’ here refers to more than just your physical body. It is your whole life. And the word for ‘offer’ probably means to stand by and present or show something. So, the image that we have here is something like this...
Imagine yourself standing before God with your hands open and outstretched offering something up to Him. And what you are offering is your life. Your gift to God is how you live, what you do and what you don’t do and how you go about doing these things. With that image in mind, let me ask... What kind of gift are you giving God right now? What kind of life are you offering to Him? Are you happy with what you are currently giving to God?
As Americans we often think that our bodies and our lives are our own to do with as we please. But 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 says to Christians,
“You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
It’s important that you understand that your life is not your own anymore. When you became a believer, when you made Jesus Lord of your life, He redeemed you from slavery to sin and bought you with His blood. You became His special possession, His servant. If you are a Christian then your life is not your own. It is a gift, an offering that you make to God. Live your life in such a way that the offering you make is holy and pleasing to Him in every way.
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