Do Not Be Conformed To This World, But Be Transformed By The Renewing Of Your Mind
Present Your Bodies A Living Sacrifice
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.
”Romans 12:1-2 NKJV
https://www.bible.com/114/rom.12.1-2.nkj
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God wants us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him; to serve in holiness, and deny one’s self, pick up his own cross and follow Jesus (MATHEW 16:24-26; LUKE 9:23).
That is to say, rather than chasing one’s own plans, goals, and the lust of the flesh, one must commit his or her life to serving God, even at great cost, in obedience to His word, for this is the least one can do.
“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
I Corinthians 6:20 NKJV
Do not be conformed to this world is to say, don’t join unbelievers in the sinful ways of the world.
We are called to live peacefully in this world in obedience as far as we can, to the laws of the land, but must separate from its sinful ways.
Jesus paid a high price to pay the debt we accrued for our sin, both past, present, and future, but that doesn’t mean we can continue to live and operate in it.
We must repent, that is to turn from sin and seek God’s righteousness and walk in it.
As committed mature Christians, repentance should not be because we deliberately sinned, but rather, just in case we made a mistake.
Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.””
II Corinthians 6:17-18 NKJV
It is when one makes every effort to be right with God, that He will start the work of not just fixing or repairing, but renewing and transforming one into the likeness of Christ (2 CORINTHIANS 3:18), and he shall come to understand what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
That is to hear God’s voice, His instructions, and discern His perfect plan for one’s life and eternal future.
He told us through the profit Jeremiah that He has a wonderful future planned for His people, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
God has the perfect plan for your life, and you cannot better it. He knows you better than you know yourself in the finest detail to the number if hairs on one’s head. Furthermore, His love for His people is above all the creatures of the earth. He individually created all people before they was in their mothers womb (JEREMIAH 1:4-5) and has the perfect plan for each of us.
Furthermore, He gifted us individually to serve Him within the body of Christ (1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31), to operate within the whole body (the church) through the five fold ministry of Christ, of which all God’s people fall into at least one of the five categories of Apostles, Prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelist (EPHESIANS 4:11).
Church was never meant to operate by the leading of one Pastor, vicar, or minister, but rather through the whole body by the leading of Jesus Christ, the head (EPHESIANS 4:15).
The truth is, no one can live right with God without the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and help us as we walk in His righteousness (JOHN 14:15-18; JOHN 16:13).
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Galatians 5:16-26 NKJV
We believers are not to led by man, but rather the Spirit. Furthermore, the foot isn’t instructed by the eye, nor hand by the arm. But all the parts of the body are individually taught and instructed by the head.
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.”
I Corinthians 12:1-14 NKJV
The Apostle is to birth and oversee, the Prophet is tell us what’s coming-God always tells of His plans before He acts (AMOS 3:7-8); the teacher is to teach, the Pastor is to host and shepherd, and the evangelist is to reach out to the lost, and all are to operate as one body by the leading of the Holy Spirit of which Christ is the head.
That is the apostolic ministry of Jesus Christ who works not just through the so called “church leaders”, but through the whole body like a well oiled machine, “For each one shall bear his own load.”
Galatians 6:5 NKJV
So rather than reject, submit to His will, take your position within the body, and using the God given gifts, serve our Lord and Master to the full.
Romans 12:1-2, gives us the simple steps to not only be transformed into a new person in the likeness of Christ, but also to come to understand what is acceptable and perfect will of God in our individual lives.
Total submission shall take us to the place where one can literally put on the very nature of Christ and fully operate in His power to share the Gospel, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give (MATHEW 10:8).
In deed, Jesus said, ”“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.“
John 14:12-14 NKJV
My beloved, as I told you before, “”Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV
Jesus died for you, are you ready to live for Him?
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
