Romans 12:1-8 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Romans 12:1-8. Let’s go!
Romans 12:1 (NIV)
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.
Verse 1: “This is your spiritual act of worship”. What is worship really? At its heart true worship is not simply singing songs or going to church. Don’t get me wrong. God commands us to sing worship songs and go to church regularly as part of a healthy life of worship. However, true worship is bigger than that. It’s about offering your entire life to God as a response to who God is and what God has done.
True worship happens when you surrender your heart, mind and body to God to be used for His purposes and His glory. Worship is an attitude as much as it is an action. So make every moment of your life a moment to worship God. Whatever you do, do it with the goal of wanting to honour and please God. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Romans 12:2 (NIV)
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.
On verse 2: How do you discover God’s will for your life? Not just by mindlessly doing what everyone else does. Rather you discover God’s will for your life more and more as you move in true worship and as you let the Word of God renew the way you think and see all of life. As Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:3 (NIV)
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
On verse 3: One of the most misguided, prideful, divisive and destructive things we can do is to think of ourselves as better than others and think that we don’t need others. Instead, Paul says that we are to see ourselves not more highly than we ought, but with sober judgment. Humility is seeing yourself for who you are in Christ – not more and not less.
Romans 12:4-8 (NIV)
4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
On verses 4-8: Part of living with Jesus-like humility is realizing that I am one small part of a much bigger body, that we are made to live and function together with other brothers and sisters in Christ as a unit, that each part belongs to all the others, and that each part is gifted and has a unique role to play.
Since you have been given a gift – and chances are, more than one – use it to serve God and others. That’s why God gave you that gift in the first place – not so that it would sit there and atrophy like an unused muscle, not so that you can build your own kingdom, but so that Christ’s name would be glorified, His body would be built up and His kingdom would expand.
Father, You are worthy not just of a song or a Sunday morning from me. You are worthy of my entire life, everything I am. So I offer myself to You as a living sacrifice, thankful that You accept me because of Jesus’ blood shed for me. Thank You that as I let Your Word renew my mind and live a life of true worship, You will enable me to discern Your will for my life. I pray that I would give You true worship through the way I view myself (with sober judgment and true humility I pray) and through the way I serve my brothers and sisters with what You’ve given to me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
