The Owner who asks instead of demanding.

I remember the life situation I was in when it happened.  It was while I was shepherding a church many years ago when seemingly out of nowhere my spiritual equilibrium went south.  During this difficult time the Lord taught me one of the greatest life lessons I have ever known.  It is simply this: God owns me and all that I am.

I can hear someone say, "But didn't you already know that as a Christian minister?"  My answer is yes, I knew it, but it hadn't traveled the full eighteen inches down to my heart!  The Scripture clearly says, for you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body (I Corinthians 6:20). If there is any New Testament verse which declares the fact of who owns you, this one does.  But that's only the introduction!

In Romans 12:1:2, Paul the apostle tells us what we ought to do because of the fact that God owns us.  That is a completely different matter isn't it?  So what is the proper life response to the God who owns our souls, our bodies, and our minds?  The answer is two-fold.  But wait, God's Word doesn't even begin there!

It begins with God making an appeal to us as His children.  But doesn't God already own us?  If so, why doesn't our Father just command us instead of asking us something?  Doesn't He has every right as the owner to do and ask whatever He wants?  That's true, but that is not what God does, at least here in this particular verse.   He appeals to us on the basis of the mercies He has shown us by sending His son to die for us.  That is truly God's mercy!  Instead of condemning us to eternal punishment for our sins, He made Him to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God through Him.  Based on His own mercy God appeals to us to give back to Him willingly what He already owns!

Listen to this,

I appeal to you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to the 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.

There are two things God appeals to you and me to do in our Christian walk.  First, we are to present our bodies to God as a living (not dead!) sacrifice to Him.  That means you give Him your eyes, your ears, your mind, your passions, and your whole body.  Its so easy to forget this every day, so do it every day!

Secondly, we are to be transformed by the renewal of your mind.  When we become Christians, God gives us a brand new mental attitude.  We have a new attitude about the Savior, the Scriptures, our sin, Satan, self, and our service to God.  The spiritual new birth has made old things to pass away, and all things have become new.  

Someone has said that the Christian's war zone is the mind.  It needs to be brought under the control of the Spirit.  2 Corinthians 10:5 says we are to take every thought captive to obey Christ.  Have you relinquished the control of your mind over to God?  How about your body?  They both belong to the One who loved you enough to die in your place, and He is simply asking you to yield them to Him as your way of worshiping Him instead of yourself.











Comments

Popular Posts

Grow Spiritually This Summer!

It has been Written...............

What is God Doing?