A Living Sacrifice
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2
God doesn’t want much from us–He wants all of us, our bodies, our souls, which contain our minds, our wills, our emotions, and our spirits. My uncle was teaching this passage in Romans in Sunday School several years ago, and he said that if you attend church regularly, give generously to the cause of Christ, and live righteously in all facets of life then you have done your “reasonable” service. You have not done more than is asked, but, as a preacher put it one time, you are an “average” Christian. However, that’s not how the world views believers who are serious about their walk with Christ. Committed Christians are seen as “super Christians” by some and as “fanatics” by others. Is there such a thing as someone who is “too Christian”?
As I get older and farther along in my walk with the Lord, the world has less and less to offer me. Just a few minutes watching TV or cruising the internet for the latest “breaking news” reinforces to me how far mankind has removed himself from God and His word. I see some new report on the news and think it can’t get any worse, and then it does. It seems like each day we hear things that we never thought in a million years that people would actually do and celebrate. Of course, none of this takes God by surprise. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:32 that folks who commit such atrocious acts of unrighteousness know that God will judge them and that their crimes are worthy of the death sentence, yet continue to do these horrible things and have pleasure doing them and encourage others to join them. Is that sick, or what? Yes, it is sick–sin sickness. People have tried to dress sin up and call it by other names, but there is no disguising sin from the Lord.
As bad as it gets, and I have no doubt that our world will continue on the path of insanity, I can still find peace and contentment every morning as I renew my mind in the goodness and grace of God which has brought me safe thus far. Everyday I can see the hand of God at work in my life showing me that He is the One who is good, who accepts me by His grace, and guides me into His perfect will for my life. If folks want to call me a fanatic, then that’s OK. I’d rather be a fanatic for Christ than a nut-job for the world.