4. Offering Yourself
Scriptures:
- Romans 12:1-2
Observations:
So, in this passage, we have an overlap from the topic of being transformed, but the idea behind it in this study is slightly different. Whereas last week, the whole point was to encourage me to seek change from the inside, today, the point is to offer myself to God.
Paul actually calls the act of offering oneself to God as our spiritual act of worship. He also calls it a living sacrifice and, I think, this latter part is why it is the former.
What is worship? worship is the offering of deference and honour to one who deserves it. We can give worship with our mouths by what we say to someone and how we speak of them. We can worship with our thoughts in a very similar manner, after all, the thoughts preclude the speech. We can worship with our actions by following in the footsteps of an individual or by following their commands. We can worship with our spirit by aligning our hearts, wills, and intentions with someone.
As thought is to speech - the underlying basis, so the spirit is to action, except it runs even deeper. Spirit gives genuineness to our action. It changes lip service to service. It changes empty promises to promises. Why? because we actually mean what we say or do.
So, in offering our souls as living sacrifices, we are relinquishing our motivations and reasonings, acknowledging God's greatness and godhood, and making God's motivations our motivations. In essence, we are saying, "Because you are God, I will relinquish my right and be made in your image." We attune our souls to God, seeking to be of one accord with him, not merely just doing the good actions externally that, genuinely, should arise from within.
That's a scary thing, obliteration of the self, but again, I challenge myself here. Who is greater, me or God? Who is perfect, me or God? In seeking to preserve myself, I am choosing to preserve my sinfulness. In offering myself to God, in seeking transformation, I am choosing righteousness.
Application:
I think it's pretty self-explanatory. I need to turn myself over completely to God.
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The Love Dare
Day 9: Love Makes Good Impressions
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