Present your bodies as a lving sacrifice

 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. Romans 12:1 ESV

In the above verse Paul is making an appeal to his readers. He wants them to give their bodies, their lives as a sacrifice to God. He wants them to give themselves to God as holy and acceptable. In other words he wants them to be living a holy life before God. Why is he appealing for this? Because their lives are to be worship of God. Paul isn't just speaking about worshipping properly on Sunday morning. No, he is calling his reader to live lives worthy of God at all times.

Paul says to present oneself as a living sacrifice is to give God spiritual worship. In John 4:24 Jesus said: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." ESV. Paul is really supporting what Jesus Himself said. Disciples lives are to be spiritual worship of God and are to be lives lived according to the truth. What is the truth? Jesus also said this; "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6 ESV Jesus is the truth. If Jesus disciples are going to live lives of sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, they must be living Christ like. They must live like Him because His life was one that was sacrificial, holy and acceptable to God.

Paul wants his readers to know that they need to be living Christ for the world to see. Living in a way that God would be pleased with.

The question we have to ask ourselves is this; Am I presenting my body, my life to God as a sacrifice holy and acceptable in His sight? If the answer is no, we need to start living like Jesus. We need to truly become one of His disciples. We need to read the gospel accounts of Jesus and start modeling ourselves after Him. We need to read the rest of the New Testament as well to see what the Apostles taught concerning the Christian life. We need to learn and observe everything that Jesus taught. That is how we will live lies sacrificially, holy and acceptable to God.

© 2012 Leo J. Woodman