Because today is my parents' 36th wedding anniversary, I set out to read a passage about love and had decided on Romans 12:9-21... but my eyes kept being drawn to the previous page. My Bible is a study Bible and has Romans 12:1 through 16:27 as "How to Behave". I figured I'd read verses 1-8, wrist and comment on them, go on with something else later... God doesn't want that, He wants me to take the "Selah" approach to this and read and digest this portion of scripture... and I believe He wants me to share with you my thoughts, feelings, and questions about it as I go. I'm looking forward to your responses and hoping for good discussion!
How to Behave, Part I
Romans 12:1&2 (GNB)
"So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.
"Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God---what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect."
Living my faith is something I desire to do every day. I want to please Him, worship Him, and serve Him in all my activities, but what exactly does it look like to accomplish this? What can I do so others can see God in me? How can I be certain that I am in God's will?
In verse 1, we're told to give ourselves to God as a living sacrifice (not a dead, chopped up, worthless carcass), and be holy and pleasing to God. Wow... how many times do we face something where we want something... NOW and neglect to put our desires aside and pick up with God's will? Our desires start to drive us and we turn from God's will and plan for our lives. This can manifest itself in something as small as wanting to eat take out rather than cooking and not having money to offer those in need as a result all the way through a Jonah reaction where we know God wants us to behave or perform in one way and we go completely against His will for us in a blatant act of disobedience. But when we turn from our desires that do not agree with God's desires, and do what He wants us to do instead... it is a form of WORSHIP! Wow again! We worship Him through our actions, they are an outward and obvious sign of our love for Him!
When we change our minds, our ways of thinking about things (verse 2), when we allow the Holy Spirit to move in us and educate us to think, feel, act and behave according to God's will, when we are transformed, we will then be in a perfect place to understand God's will for our lives. We will understand His purpose for us and how he wants us to accomplish His plans. But we also need to beware that this isn't simply an outward transformation, that it's real and heartfelt. We can separate ourselves from obvious evils and snares yet remain trapped by the same strongholds of sin, greed, arrogance and pride if we do not allow the Spirit of the Lord to move in us, mold us, and change us into the people God wants us to be.
I am excited about this. I know Romans 12, and all of Romans really, is studied often... but this is a first for me. I'm going to take my time, follow God's leading for the pace of the "How to Behave" series and present it as I have it presented to me... don't worry, the WOB have not been forgotten, they're just on hold right now while God has me looking at other things.
Hugs & Love
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