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Tag Archives: living sacrifice

Recharging Batteries

03 Jun

Recharging Batteries

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

This ol’ world we live in will run you down if you let it. The pressures of life, and the seemingly endless problems in life, can take the joy out of life, without Christ in your life. Satan does all that he can to take your eyes off the eternal reward; he wants you to dwell in the present tribulation, to sink into the despair of it, and blame God for it. With a heart for God, you will seek God in it, and your faith will grow and deepen; Satan’s plan backfires. Satan may even come to you as the worldly blessing; this is a slippery slope where the joy of it slowly takes your eyes off the Provider. You become wrapped up in it, and forget to praise the One whom gave it. Anything that takes your focus off Christ is from the enemy, but in it all you can use it against the enemy, in that realization of a heart for God.

The apostle Paul has just laid out the doctrines of Christianity and he is now about to lay out the duties of it. He is plainly speaking of how to live your life as a follower of Christ; how to become a disciple by which you are called. 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. You are not of this world any longer when you come to Salvation through Christ. You are to live your life differently; you are now a child of an eternal king; you are in-dwelt with His Spirit living inside you. That gut feeling you get sometimes is Him speaking to you; listen and obey. I still remember early in my walk, my pastor plainly putting it to me; “That gut feeling is the Holy Spirit pal.” That simple statement stuck with me; Christ is living inside me now.

I speak of getting my batteries recharged a lot. This world seems to suck the life power out of me, and it is through seeking God every day that I find His power to face the day. It can be in prayer, His Word, a conversation, an encounter with someone; it is always just the right thing, at just the right time. It gives me a renewed spirit; it renews my mind; it re-charges my spiritual batteries to face the world again. Matthew Henry describes it well, “It is the same with making a new heart and a new spirit-new dispositions and inclinations, new sympathies and antipathies; the understanding enlightened, the conscience softened, the thoughts rectified; the will bowed to the will of God, and the affections made spiritual and heavenly: so that the man is not what he was-old things are passed away, all things are become new; he acts from new principles, by new rules, with new designs.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. You too can recharge your batteries every day with a heart, mind, body, and soul that seeks Him daily. His power supply is endless and eternal.

 
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Posted by on June 3, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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It is all in there

12 Feb

It is all in there

Romans 11:36-12:2     For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

It is almost impossible to single out a few scriptures in the book of Romans to write on. Romans is Paul’s pinnacle writing, steep in theology, God’s sovereignty woven throughout the epistle, chapters hinge on preceding chapters. It must be read in context; as all the Bible should; but the understanding of it is deep in the meanings of all that is laid out prior to where God is speaking to you in it. Paul had been pointing to the sins of Israel, and the relation of that sin to the Gospel going out to the Gentiles; all of this in God’s sovereign plan for mankind. The pieces of His puzzle all coming together in a way that makes little sense to us; yet there can be peace in us that understand He is in control of it all. Romans 11:36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. God’s sovereignty explained in one simple sentence.

When you come to understand, to grasp that you are one of the elect, one of a chosen child of God’s, their is a humbleness in your heart that draws you to rest in peace. God has prepared your heart for that understanding. He has given you the ability to possess that peace and joy that the world cannot steal away. He has given you the ability to see all things as temporal; he has given you the ability to possess peace when all around you is failing. Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. This world is in chaos right now in all areas; political, economic, rumors of war, poverty, social, weather phenomena; the list could be detailed right down to each of us. We are all living in a world out of control, a world turning their backs on God.

God is really pressing on me. I do not know what his plans are, but I feel him pressing on me. When times get tough, and believe me right now they are, I find myself just wanting to spend more time with Him and His Word. I also find that Satan through the world provides every seemingly distraction possible. Those things speak to my heart as confirmation I am hearing and headed in the right direction. Dig into God’s Word if you want to possess more of God. He has given you all you need there. The way to way to transform your mind and body as the scriptures above speak, is found in a heart that desires to spend time with God every day in prayer and his word.

 
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Posted by on February 12, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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I am…….

21 Sep

I am…….

Romans 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The apostle Paul had spent the chapters leading up to this addressing the differences in Israel and the Gentiles, and the lack of difference. God had allowed much of Israel to fall away and presented the Gospel to the Gentiles whom where beginning to believe. Many wandered if God had forgotten Israel. He has not, and His plans for Israel are to be fulfilled in eternity. Romans 10: 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Paul is trying to explain how we must be moved to a place of worship and reverent fear for God’s grace and mercy. In the middle of this writing he is moved to praise. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

The next verse is Romans 12 above. When the Bible was written, there were no chapters, or breaks in chapters. Paul has been building to show God’s glory on all mankind and how that realization should move you to a place of humble, sacrificial worship. That work you feel inside of you once you realize your spiritual state of sin, will knock your knees out from under you with that realization.  The mystery is revealed and you realize you are nothing without the One who created you, and the One who saved you. 1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. If you have not come to the understanding of sin, and the need for a Savior from that sin, the Gospel of Christ has not done its work in your heart.

A religion that does not give you the bad news is not a religion that saves. It is a religion that “tickles your ears” and feels good, which results in the leading away. Broad is the path that leads to destruction, but narrow is the gate that finds paradise.  Once God opens your heart through the realization of Him; the realization of you in sin without Him; you will be truly transformed. Becoming a Romans 12 Christian will be the sacrificial acts you naturally desire to be for eternity.

 
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Posted by on September 21, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Romans 12 Lifestyle

03 Sep

Romans 12 Lifestyle

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

This scripture is a simple sentence in a powerful closing statement to the passage of Romans 12. This passage of scripture is the insight to how to live life as a Christian. Of how to go against the grain of the world and live your life as a disciple of Christ. The opening statement in Paul’s letter is, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1,2) To present yourselves as a LIVING sacrifice to God. To seek the will of God in your heart, mind, body, and soul. To pursue him with a heart that sees only the things of Him, and to seek to be obedient to what we see from Him.

When life reaches out and grabs us with its struggles, and it will,  remember Romans 12. That passage is a place to return to for God’s words on how to live your life as a Christian. It speaks of the struggles of life; of the different spiritual gifts we possess, and how to use those gifts for the glory of God. We must understand that their is strength in the light of God that we possess. We are told in Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. The more time you spend in God’s Word and seeking Him in prayer, the more light He places in you to defend yourself from the darkness. 1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Romans 12 is the “self help guide” to keep for quick reference. It would be a great place to start your own Bible study; a place for you to dig deeper into God’s Word. A place for God to reveal much more of Himself and yourself in those scriptures. As you spend more than a few minutes reading through the passage, you are showing God your desire for Him. He will reward you with a heart that sees more of Him in the scriptures. He will meet you there and your life will never be the same for when you find those encouraging words at just the right time; at some point you realize it is a word directly from God; and you get it.

 
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Posted by on September 3, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Dying to self

27 May

Dying to self

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

Hopefully Memorial weekend you will spend some time reflecting on those who paid the ultimate price for your freedom with their lives. In that same respect we know that God gave us His Son as a sacrifice to pay for our sin with His life. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. In the scripture above, Christ is asking us to lay down our lives for Him. He is not asking us for martyrdom necessarily (but that may come), but asking us to forsake the lusts of the world, and live a life for Him seeking eternal and not temporal pleasure.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. What is a living sacrifice anyway? A sacrifice is thought of as a death to bestow honor correct? Matthew Henry said, “A living sacrifice, that is, inspired with the spiritual life of the soul. It is Christ living in the soul by faith that makes the body a living sacrifice.” The world and the lusts of it are Satan’s tactics to draw you away from Christ. The list would be long of the idolatry he uses today in our world that places so much value on self pleasure and stuff. But we can move in our relationship with Christ to the point that the “stuff” just does not matter anymore, and what matters is what we feel led to do in honor of Him, and share the joy He brings with those that do not see yet.  Paul said in Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. You can place honor on the one who died for you for eternity, by dying to the lusts of yourself, and placing yourself at His feet for service.

 
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Posted by on May 27, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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