Romans 12:1-5 (NIV)
A Living Sacrifice
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform 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.
Humble Service in the Body of Christ
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 faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For 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, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)
Israel’s Only Savior
43 But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
Be renewed and present yourself as a living offering to God
In the Old Testament, people gave dead animals, such as cattle, as offerings to God. In the New Testament, Jesus bore the cross and became that offering to God once and for all: a person—the Messiah—became the sacrifice. As God’s history progresses, we must do things in new ways.
Nowadays, what does it mean to be alive? It means to believe in and love God. It means to give your whole body, heart, and mind as a living offering. To interact with God and give yourself to Him is the spiritual sacrifice. You should go before God with that mentality and with your body to worship and love Him.
In Romans 12:2, the “renewing of the mind” refers to having a new mindset and new thoughts. You have to first be changed in your mind, and then you can take action differently with the body. This requires seeing or hearing something that inspires you to change in a new way; the Word of God does just that.
Become attached to God through love
With love, you are attached to God. Without love, you aren’t attached. Even if your body is physically far away from the one you love, you are attached to them if your hearts are united.
As the Scripture in Romans says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world,” you must discern what God’s Will is and do the necessary work within that Will. You must live within Christ. God’s Will is centered entirely on love, so you must attach yourself to God—not physically—but with absolute and unshaken love for God.
As the time period changes, you must love God with all your heart, will, and life, rather than having mere faith or belief in Him. God created everything for the sake of love. Do you want to go to the kingdom of Heaven where God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Son dwell? Instead of going to the Kingdom of Heaven only by righteousness, go to that domain by following God’s Will. Do things together with God in a way that pleases Him. Confessing with just your lips is only the first step. You must also live righteously according to God’s Will, and you should develop yourself with the Word. According to how you develop yourself, you will live being used by the Holy Trinity. Remember that God is always with you, so keep taking action!
Belong only to God
In Matthew 4:8-10, Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor and said, “All this is mine, and I will give it all to you if you bow down and worship me.” Bowing is surrendering and acknowledging. At this, the Messiah Jesus rebuked him saying, “All things belong to God. For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'” Satan knew this, so he fled. Everything belongs to God, but Satan speaks as if it is ‘his’ and tempts you. All things belong to God, but Satan’s side and evil’s side claim it as theirs. Even Hell belongs to God because if Satan were to control it, then he would just get rid of it.
Belong to God and you can belong to the Lord. You must never lose your love towards God. God judges everything that isn’t His, so you must have the attitude that God is always with you. He will help you. You must live united with the Lord. Then you will not lose in the battle of life because the Lord is the victor who belongs to God. You have to know that you belong to God and realize God’s Will and Truth for yourself.
You take action according to your thoughts. Therefore, if you pay attention to only the physical world, then your body that pertains to the physical world will develop. But if you “listen” to the spiritual world, then your mind as well as your soul and spirit will develop. When your physical body hears the Word of God, your spirit transforms into the image of God. What does it mean “to resemble in image and likeness” [Genesis 1:26]? It means to resemble in form, personality, and character. It is to be fundamentally alike and inwardly compatible with God.
God chose you and has worked upon you. We live without knowing fully about God and the Holy Spirit, but He knows us clearly because He chose us so that we can become beautiful counterparts to fulfill His Will.
