Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Romans 12:1-3

Have you ever heard those phrases that simply did not make sense. An oxymoron if you will. Let me give you some examples of what I’m talking about- Clearly Confused, A little BIG, Bad Luck, Floppy Disk, Freezer Burn, Awfully Good, Nonstick Glue, Nonstop Flight, Original Copy, Pretty Ugly…the list goes on.
In Romans 12:1-2 we find one of these oxymorons. Let’s see if you know which two words I am talking about in the verse. It says, “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.” Did you see it? The two words I’m talking about are living sacrifice.  Doesn't quite make sense. When I picture a sacrifice I think of it as dead, but here we are called to be a living sacrifice!
Let’s define the meaning of sacrifice. The dictionary defines it this way, ‘the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.’ To surrender something prized, like our very life, for something higher, like the glory of our Savior. Let’s keep in mind that God is not asking us to do anything He did not already do himself. Jesus gave his very life for the glory of God and to redeem us back to Himself.
Verse two goes on to say, “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.”
This verse makes clear to me that if I am conformed to this world then I am not being that living sacrifice, but on the flip side, what I am supposed to be is: conforming to Christ! When I lay down my life, my desires, my own will on the altar and do the perfect will of God, that’s when I am that living sacrifice, acceptable to God. Take some time to really think of what your life should look like as a living sacrifice and then walk that way. Application of these verses in our lives sure would be awfully good!

Food for Thought: Read Romans 12:1-2. What oxymoron did we find in today’s devo passage? What does this phrase mean?

Sheila AndersPastor's Wife | www.libcky.com
Sheila and Pastor Matt have been serving the church family of Landmark Baptist Church since 2007. She is a full-time mom of four children - Olivia, Levi, Reid, and Luke.

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