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. Do not be conformed to this 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.
Romans 12:1,2 ESV
For many years, I thought worship was singing three songs before the preaching started. I've since discovered "worship" is much more. To worship in spirit and in truth entails many areas of my life I tried to keep separate from church; i.e. my thought life, my giving (money, talent, & time), the way I treated people.
According to Paul, presenting my body as a living sacrifice is my spiritual worship. So, what does that look like? Is it the way I present myself to the world? Perhaps my hygiene? Absolutely, but so much more. By loving my neighbor as myself and treating others as I would like to be treated, I am becoming holy and acceptable to God. By keeping myself pure sexually, by not putting poison (drugs & alcohol) into my body, that is my spiritual worship.
Are these things necessary for my salvation? Do I have to clean myself up before I can get to God? Absolutely not! I don't even believe that is possible. If I could've cleaned myself up I wouldn't need Jesus. He accepts me just as I am right now. He loves me right now. There is nothing I can do that will ever be good enough to make him love me any more than he already does, and nothing I can do that would make him love me any less. My salvation is based on what he did on the cross, not on anything I did or could do.
Here lies the good news. If you are at the point in your life where you know there is something missing, and you are tired of being tired, call out to Jesus. Ask him to reveal himself to you. Tell him in your own words that you know you are in need of change and that you accept him into your heart. Give him your sinful nature and ask him to forgive you. He will come to live in your heart, give you life. Make you a new creature. He stands at the door of your heart and is knocking. If you will let him in, he promises to never leave or forsake you.
Does that mean that all your problems will be solved and that now you will have that easy life you were promised by some TV evangelist begging for a donation? No, it means that now you will have peace that is beyond all understanding. Now, you will grow to learn what it means to be loved unconditionally. Now, you have the assurance of eternal life with the maker of the universe. Now, you are complete in him. Now, you are a joint heir with Jesus, adopted into the family of God, and can cry out Abba (father) and know that you will be heard. He is waiting on you right now.
If you would like to learn more about Jesus, or would like someone to pray with, click on one of the links on this page or contact me directly; rlwhitener01@gmail.com
Thanks for following along, God bless.
Romans 12:1,2 ESV
For many years, I thought worship was singing three songs before the preaching started. I've since discovered "worship" is much more. To worship in spirit and in truth entails many areas of my life I tried to keep separate from church; i.e. my thought life, my giving (money, talent, & time), the way I treated people.
According to Paul, presenting my body as a living sacrifice is my spiritual worship. So, what does that look like? Is it the way I present myself to the world? Perhaps my hygiene? Absolutely, but so much more. By loving my neighbor as myself and treating others as I would like to be treated, I am becoming holy and acceptable to God. By keeping myself pure sexually, by not putting poison (drugs & alcohol) into my body, that is my spiritual worship.
Are these things necessary for my salvation? Do I have to clean myself up before I can get to God? Absolutely not! I don't even believe that is possible. If I could've cleaned myself up I wouldn't need Jesus. He accepts me just as I am right now. He loves me right now. There is nothing I can do that will ever be good enough to make him love me any more than he already does, and nothing I can do that would make him love me any less. My salvation is based on what he did on the cross, not on anything I did or could do.
Here lies the good news. If you are at the point in your life where you know there is something missing, and you are tired of being tired, call out to Jesus. Ask him to reveal himself to you. Tell him in your own words that you know you are in need of change and that you accept him into your heart. Give him your sinful nature and ask him to forgive you. He will come to live in your heart, give you life. Make you a new creature. He stands at the door of your heart and is knocking. If you will let him in, he promises to never leave or forsake you.
Does that mean that all your problems will be solved and that now you will have that easy life you were promised by some TV evangelist begging for a donation? No, it means that now you will have peace that is beyond all understanding. Now, you will grow to learn what it means to be loved unconditionally. Now, you have the assurance of eternal life with the maker of the universe. Now, you are complete in him. Now, you are a joint heir with Jesus, adopted into the family of God, and can cry out Abba (father) and know that you will be heard. He is waiting on you right now.
If you would like to learn more about Jesus, or would like someone to pray with, click on one of the links on this page or contact me directly; rlwhitener01@gmail.com
Thanks for following along, God bless.
No comments:
Post a Comment