Romans 12:1-2
Scripture: Romans 12:1-2 (ESV) “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Devotion
What does it mean to worship God? One of my hobby horses is how we use the term “worship” in contemporary Christianity. When you ask the majority of Christians today what worship is, they will say that it is singing songs to God. We have worship brackets in our church services. We do a worship set before or after the preacher talks. I hate that. Not the singing, the way we use the word…
Romans has a much bigger, much broader, much more captivating view of what worship is. Worship, Paul says, is life.
Romans 12:1-2 is the turning point in the book of Romans. Paul has spent the last 12 chapters talking about how God has been unfolding the redemption of the world through Israel’s rejection of Jesus, which ultimately led to the inclusion of the Gentiles. Salvation through Jesus is now open to all who would confess with their mouth, and believe in their heart. Paul now turns to the “So What” of all these wonderful theological truths. What does this all mean for us living every day?
The first practical application Paul gives targets our very human tendency to want to fit in. To conform. Every day we are challenged and tempted to conform to the patterns of this world. I think in the western world, this temptation to conform most often manifests itself in chasing after personal success at the expense of spiritual success and adopting societal values that conflict with biblical principles. One of the most prevalent ways I have seen this show up is in the hopes and dreams Christian parents have for their children. Most often they just want their kids to grow up healthy and do well at school so that they can go to university, so they can have a good job and a nice house. Not that those things are wrong – but those are goals for our children that conform to the world. The primary goal a parent should have for their children, is that their children are willing to sacrifice everything for Jesus. Spiritual goals, above worldly goals. That is what Romans calls us to here.
But Paul is aware of these temptations. And so he calls us to a radically different lifestyle, rooted in a transformed mindset. This transformation is deep and total—it starts in the mind. When our thought patterns are redeemed, they affect drive how we prioritize and therefore how we live. But the transformation is more than just a once off thing – it is a continual process of allowing God’s word and His Spirit to reshape our thoughts, attitudes, and then ultimately, our actions.
This transformation of the mind leads to living as “living sacrifices.” The imagery is powerful—unlike the animals offered in the Old Testament sacrifices, which were sacrificed only once, a living sacrifice keeps on living, continually dedicating every moment to God. This kind of sacrifice is “holy and acceptable to God,” and it is our “spiritual worship.” It’s how we truly worship God, not just with our lips but with our lives. That takes our faith outside of church on Sunday morning and calls us to a radically different life.
When we live like this, our very lives worship God.
Not just our singing during the “worship” set…
Prayer
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Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy that saves and transforms us. Help us to not conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. Teach us to live as living sacrifices, continually offering ourselves to You in every aspect of our lives. Give us the wisdom to discern Your will, that we might live in a way that is good, pleasing, and perfect in Your sight. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Spiritual Challenge for the Day
Today, take a moment to reflect on an area of your life where you might be conforming to the world. Ask God to help you see this area through His eyes and take one practical step to align it more closely with His will. This might mean changing a habit, starting a difficult conversation, or setting aside time for prayer and Bible study. Let this be a day of intentional transformation, grounded in God’s perfect will for your life.