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November 25 I urge you therefore, 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, that you many prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1,2. Paul is demonstrating the principle that love urges but never commands. He also mentions this in Philemon, verse 9. What Paul is asking us to do is to remember all that God has done for us, and in view of that we are asked to present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice. In this letter to the Romans we have learned that all of us are sinners, but we are justified in God’s sight when we accept Jesus into our lives. We also learn that we are identified with Jesus instead of Adam—that we are embarking upon a new life in Christ. We are even identified with Him at the cross—the old nature within us has no more right to control us. And we are to reckon upon these things as true. Furthermore, we are not to live the Christian life alone, for the Holy Spirit is our guide. Yes, in view of all these things, the loving response is to place ourselves into the hands of God as a living sacrifice. We owe everything to Him, so there is no other proper response. The result is that we will be transformed in our mind so that we can respond to God and accomplish His works. The old ways in Adam will be replaced with the new ways of Christ. This is grace expressed in an unlimited manner toward those who are totally undeserving. Father, we love you so much for Your mercy and grace. To think that You would want to make us completely like Your Son, and to imagine that we could be set upon a path that accomplishes Your will, is beyond our comprehension. But we accept this humbly, knowing that You have great things in store for us today and every day. We are like clay in the potter’s hands, so let Your hand be upon us moment by moment. Amen.
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