Disneyland is Not the Happiest Place on Earth!

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Romans 12:1-2 is one of my life verses. The Lord had me memorize it at a time in my spiritual journey where I was conforming more to the world than to Him. In some ways this verse has everything you need to know about how to lead a life worthy of your calling to follow Christ. It is also the best life you can live where will you will find real fulflilment and joy by doing His will not your own. 

A Living Sacrifice to God

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

There are several important aspects of this verse I would like to point out.

1. Everything Paul will command the Roman Christians to do is a response to God's mercy. I.e. "Give your bodies to God beccause of all he has done for you." This is a very important principle as we look at our motivation to follow Christ. We never offer anything of ourselves to earn our acceptance from God. We offer our lives back to God because of the mercy he has shown us in Christ. We don't offer ourselves to earn God's approval but because we have it. 

2. There are different parts of who we are as a person. Our body, our soul, our heart, and our mind. Jesus has redeemed each part of us,  and as such we need to offer these parts back to Him. He says to "offer our body" back to God. The body is home to a lot of the desires we gratified when we were living in the flesh. I.e. Flesh, anger, gluttony, greed. But as we give our body back to God, our body can now help us to do good under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. 

3. He says offer it as a living sacrifice, as opposed to the dead animal sacrifices in the Old Testament. As you probably know the best lamb in the flock without blemish was given during Passover as an atonement for the Israelites' sin. This was a foreshadowing of when Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God, would become of our perfect sacrifice. The difference is Jesus' sacrifice was a once and for all sacrifice, therefore eliminating the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. That is why Paul says to offer ourselves as a "living sacrifice", not to earn God's approval but as a response to having it. Each day as Paul says, "We put to death our old nature with its desires and put on our new self which is being renewed each day!" (Read Colossians 3:1-17 for a summary of this process)

4. Paul includes another very important part of us our minds. Our minds led us to confom to the world, which led us to copy the customs fo the world. It led to behaviors which were eventually self destructive. But Paul tells us not to "confrom to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds". The mind is key to Jesus' tranformation in us.  Most of our behavior is first triggered in our minds. We become what we think about the most. If you are constantly thinking about money it will lead to greed. If you are constantly lusting after others it may lead to adultery or some other form of sexual impurity. 

5. My favorite part of the verse is the result of the transformation we see in Christ. Paul says, "Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." As we offer every part of ourselves to God, His will naturally happens in our lives. And what I love the most is that God's will is, "good, pleasing and perfect!" Many people look in all the wrong places for happiness. 

But the happiest place on earth is not Disneyland, but being in God's will. It is good, pleasing and perfect!  It was how we were meant to live and give us fulfillment, satisfaction, purpose and a joy and peace the world could not give!

What about You?

1. What part of your body or mind do you need to offer to God in response to his mercy, which he gave to you through Christ? 

2. Are you living a life that is good, pleasing, and perfect? You can't do it on your own, it is only possible when as you submit your whole self to the life God wants for you in Jesus' power living in you. Paul says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!" Philippians 4:13

Read the rest of the chapter as to the other ways this transformation and renewal looks like in your daily life! I would highly recommend you memorize Romans 12:1-2 it has served me well and I know it will for you too!



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