To Him be Glory For Ever
Romans 11:33-36; 12:1-3
33. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34. "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" 35. "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" 36. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen. Rom 12:1. I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3. For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him.
Paul is overcome with adoration for God! He praises Him for all He has done – not only in the world but within Paul himself. In light of the glory and wonder, power and might of God, Paul urges us to be likewise transformed in our faith, in our actions, and in our obedience to God’s complex and awesome plan for our lives.
Out of adoration and awe, Paul urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices – not as dead offerings burned on the altar, but as living, breathing members of a Christian community. We are to demonstrate the transformation of our lives through our obedience to God, by our actions as Christians and by our desire to serve others and put ourselves last. Not that we are worthless, but that our worth is through and from Christ. So in gratitude we change our behavior and our attitude.
We need to be in community – to serve others, but also to be served – and to be kept on the “straight and narrow” path. The world offers so many temptations and exerts so many pressures to conform to its ways, we need help and guidance and support to avoid behavior that is not in keeping with our “new selves.” When we live according to what is good and acceptable to God, we are rewarded beyond anything the world had to offer us!
If we stop to think about all that God has done for us and how faithfully He loves us even when we sin, we really can’t help but testify to His greatness and glory! He is perfection. His wisdom incomprehensible. His knowledge, unsearchable. His mercy, without limit. His love, unending.
I hope you spend your day in spiritual worship – offerering your body as a living sacrifice in praise of God’s love and mercy.
Mary
