ROMANS 12:1

“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

We will be celebrating Memorial Day on May 25^th here in the U.S. It’s a day set aside as a federal holiday to honor those who have given their lives in service to our country. There will be wreaths laid at gravesites, memorial services held, and there will be barbecues and parties. Why did those individuals we are honoring lay down their lives for our country? Because they loved the U.S.A. and the freedom it stands for. They gave the ultimate sacrifice.

As Paul begins this section of his letter to the Romans, he leaves the doctrinal teachings and dives into the practical application. These two sections are joined by the infamous “therefore.” Because Paul had said all those things in chapters 1 through 11, he can now tell us how to use that knowledge in our walk with Christ. He begins by telling us to present our “bodies as a living and holy sacrifice.” The old dead sacrificial system was gone for a Christian. They are now a living sacrifice for Christ, holy and set apart.

APPLICATION

I want to focus on the last phrase of this verse, though. Paul writes “which is your spiritual service of worship. Let’s break that down a bit. The Greek word translated as “spiritual” is logikós – “(‘divinely reasonable’) is constantly necessary in making acceptable offerings to the Lord. These produce a ‘seamless’ life in which every decision (action) can have profound, eternal meaning, even in earthly ‘setbacks’ or suffering.”(HELPS Word-studies) That’s a mouthful, I know. The point is this word describes a divine action on our part. All our actions should be framed that way.

The phrase “service of worship” is actually just one Greek word. The Topical Lexicon defines that word, latreia, and says it, “draws a direct connection between the outward acts of worship prescribed by God and the inward posture of the heart.” Oh, that’s good. Paul is saying any action we take, even a sacrificial one should be motivated by our heart.

Back to my opening example. Some of those who lost their lives in defense of our country died from accidents or friendly fire. Others willingly chose to throw themselves in harm’s way to protect others. Their action was motivated by their heart. They loved their brothers or sisters enough to sacrifice themselves to save them. Isn’t that what Jesus did for us? We should be willing to do the same, if called upon to do so. Are you? What have you got to lose? When you leave this life, you enter heaven. Who doesn’t want that?

Father, I believe I am willing to lay down my life if called upon. Give me the courage to follow through.

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