Romans 12:1-2

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. 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.

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,

This is probably the most convicting passage in the entire Bible for me. Because of all that God has done...because of His manifold mercies, our logical (reasonable) response is to offer up our bodies and very lives to Him for His glory, to lead separated lives from the world and to have our minds transformed by the word of God. Total dedication, commitment and devotion to "doing" His will is our reasonable service. We are His slaves...our only purpose being to serve Him. We are to magnify Him in our bodies and our lives. I have heard it put this way: Christ died for me the least I can do is live for Him.

Let's look at the passage more closely now.

The first 11 chapters of Romans are filled with rich theological truths....Chapters 12-16 describe to us how to live in light of these truths....here again is where the rubber meets the road...are you going to be informed or reformed by these truths.

Paul starts off with I beseech (exhort, implore, entreat) you...that means us. I find it interesting that he does not command here but beseeches or entreats for love's sake.

Paul continues: therefore, by the mercies of God, I believe after much reading that the therefore refers specifically the the doxology in in Chapter 11:33-36 specifically verse 36.

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?”^i]">[i]
³⁵ “ Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”^j]">[j]
³⁶ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Because God is the source, sustainer, and the rightful end of all things that exist the only acceptable worship is to offer yourself completely to Him. (1 Cor 8:6, 1 Cor 15:28, Ephes 1:23, Ephes 4:6, Hebrews 2:10)

Mercies is defined as the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it. His "mercies" are the ground upon which believers are to present their bodies a living sacrifice.  And boy do I need His mercy!

His mercies are the ground on which we are to do this...Thank God it is His mercies...John MacArthur describes his mercies as the gracious, extravagant, divine graces Paul described in Chapters 1-11...His love - He has set it upon us...we are the beloved of God, His grace - the unmerited favor God shows guilty sinners righteousness - His righteousness from God...not our own but Jesus' through His death on the cross and His gift of faith - salvation is a gift from God..it has nothing to do with anything we can do or have to achieve. This really should just melt us...Our God is so full of mercy and compassion! Could we trust anyone else with our bodies and our very lives! He is sure to use them kindly and with compassion...He is sure not to give us more than we can bear...He knows our frames.

Paul continues that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. Under the old covenant God accepted animal sacrifices. Because of Christ's ultimate sacrifice the Old Testament sacrifices are no longer accepted.

Hebrews 9:11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come,^a]">[a] with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. ¹² Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ¹⁵ And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

So because of all He has done for us, because all things were created through Him and for Him we are to give him ourselves as living sacrifices. The body is to be used as a servant of the soul in service to God. God again is a gentleman. Paul writes these verses as an exhortation...he tells us that giving our bodies and souls in service to God as living sacrifices for His glory is our reasonable service...it is holy and acceptable to God. The thing about a living sacrifice is that our will needs to be completely set apart to God to do what He wants. If they are not, we will keep jumping off the altar.

How do we keep from jumping off the altar? Here is what I know. I have made it a practice to spend much time in His word. As I did this I get/got  to know Him better and in knowing Him better, I love Him more and in loving Him more I trust Him more and in trusting Him more I surrender more of my will to Him. (I decrease...He increases; or His desires become my desires)  It is a process...God uses the trials we face to wean us from those things we depend on...He pulls the rug out--so to speak-- and when we look up by faith His grace is there.  Now He doesn't hit us right away with the hard stuff...He weans us slowly and wisely and if we are in the Word and diligently seeking Him, He prepares us perfectly for what is ahead. This has been so true in my own life.  As we look into the mirror of His Word deeply we are changed and we become more like Him. 2nd Corinthians 3:18 says ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. So when our minds are saturated and controlled by word of God we will know what is that good acceptable and perfect will....His will isn't hard ...it is good, acceptable and perfect. I don't know about you but I want that...I want my life to be His and not mine...my life was a mess before I came to Him.  He made the crooked places straight as I yielded my will to Him by the power of His Spirit working in my life.  He promises to complete that work. It is all Him...not us...

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Love Mom

James 1:19-25

So then,^a]">[a] my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:19-25

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla

Some good advice from James as we begin...(You will notice the date on this entry is November 2, 2009...just before Nana arrived...just before our precious little Jordan was born.  I am not sure why I didn't publish this but I am now...I am sure the Sovereign Lord has His reasons!)

James is such a practical book! It is where the rubber meets the road. Are we a hearer of the Word only? Do we really live what we profess to believe? What our hearts believe, will be reflected in our lives...our actions will follow the beliefs of our hearts. Our faith is something to be believed and acted upon. If it doesn't result in works and a changed life then our faith is dead. If we love God, we will obey His commandments.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

As we begin this study let us bow our hearts and ask God that by the power of His Holy Spirit we would become doers of His word and not hearers only. That His hearts desire for us would be our heart's desire. That we would get up each day, strengthen ourselves in His word and commit our way to Him. That are hearts would be completely His dedicated to doing His will.

James in the above verses speaks of the "implanted" word. Our heart is the soil or planting ground. The word of God can't work in our hearts unless it is received in the right way. James tells us that we need to receive it with meekness. That word meekness means that you accept it without argument. You don't make it say what you want it to say and you remember what it says in Psalm 138:2. For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. It is through His word that God reveals to us who He is and brings us into a relationship with Him. (Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God).

Jesus tells in Luke 8:18 to take heed how we hear. Some people hear but they do not hear or understand...they have become as it says in Hebrews "dull of hearing". How does this happen? I think their spiritual life deteriorates because they read or listen to the word and lightly esteem it. 1st Thessalonians 2:13 says ¹³ For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

So in order to receive the word and have it take root lets listen to the guidance that James gives us.

"Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" Sigh! For most of us the opposite is true, isn't it? We are slow to hear, quick to speak and quick to wrath. Which kind of person would you rather be around. Or better yet...which kind of person would you rather teach? I remember instructing each one of you on how to do certain things when you were young. Many times your reactions made you unteachable. You started asking to do what I was showing you before I was through showing you. You were not patient and when I made you wait you got angry. The Lord goes through the same things with each of us. Just like it is impossible to show a child something when his attitude is wrong, it is also not possible for God to put His word in your heart and teach you His ways when you think you know best or don't need His help. God will never force Himself on you...He is a gentleman and waits for you to ask. And just like a child reaches that point when they give up realizing they do in fact need your help; He also waits for you to reach that point where you know you need Him and call out for help.

I know I was quick to hear your cries or hear something that was important to me, but am I quick to hear God speak to my heart through His word. God wants us to be swift to hear what He has to say and slow to speak. He wants us to let it sink deep down into our hearts and meditate on it letting the Holy Spirit guide knowing that it is from Him who desires only our good.

Proverbs 10:19 tells us that in the multitude of words sin is not lacking. Many times we give excuses either out loud or in our hearts when we hear God's word...we may not even be aware sometimes that this is our pattern. We think that Jesus doesn't know our "special" situation and circumstances. If he did, He would look the other way. God cannot look the other way. He is a holy and just God. We must say the same thing about our sin that He says about it. We must not make excuses or argue with Him but repent and turn from it.

The bible tells us anger rests in the bosom of fools and that He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. Many times we get angry at God's word because it reveals our sin to us. We rebel against it or avoid it because it tells us the truth about who we are and we do not want to come into the light and see because we love our sin more than we love God. We do not want to give it up. John 3:19-21 says it all: ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

There is a godly righteous anger on behalf of others or against sin and this type of anger is commanded. (Ephesians 4:26) but even that type of anger we are warned not to let the sun go down on. Most of the anger that we experience, however, is not righteous anger but is unrighteous and selfish...we are angry because we are offended...it is on our own behalf. James tells that man's anger does not produce God's righteousness. So many biblical reasons not to respond in anger but the one given here is simply that it is not productive. It doesn't work. In fact it makes you go backward in your relationships. Okay...so sometimes it does work for the moment to get people moving and doing what you want them to do, but at what cost?

So how do we do this you ask? Read on...James 1:21 compares the human heart to a garden...okay... I don't have very much experience with gardening but this past spring Mikayla wanted a small garden to grow some vegetables. As you all know our yard gets very little sun...the one place that does receive the sun had previously been a place where years ago garbage had been buried. (1880 homes are not all they are cracked up to be) Before we could plant or sow anything the soil had to be prepared. The glass, rock, pottery and other debris had to be removed and the soil turned over and softened. We need to do this before we receive the word of God. Confess our sin, ask God for forgiveness, meditate on His goodness, and ask him to soften the hard spots in our hearts. Then and only then can we receive it with meekness..or without argument being quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath.



The last section of this passage talks of practicing the word. This is truly where the rubber meets the road. It is not enough for us to hear the word; we must do it. James tells us in verse 22 that if we are hearers only we are deceiving ourselves. Sometimes we think reading the bible or going to a bible study is enough...but if we don't take it a step further our lack of action reveals the deadness of our faith. What our heart believes our lives will reflect.

How do you look into the mirror of the word. Do you take a quick look and just glance at it or maybe you read a chapter a day because your conscience would bother you if you didn't. Warren Wiersbe makes an excellent point here. Your conscience should bother you because you are looking into the word carelessly. We need to gaze deeply into the mirror and really let the Lord reveal what He wants us to see. We are less likely to forget what we see if we really let the word of God reveal our hearts to us. Psalm 139:23-24 tells us to: Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; ²⁴ And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

As we read, study and meditate on God's word we are transformed into His image. We become more like Him! Romans 12:2.

2nd Corinthians 3:18 says this: ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

So as we look into the mirror of the word we undergo a metamorphosis...a change on the outside that comes from the inside. Christ on the inside is revealed on the outside. Spending more time in the word makes you become more and more beautiful...not a bad deal!

In verse 25 James refers to the word as the perfect law of liberty. Why because it frees us as we obey it. John 8:34: Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Psalm 119:45 says that we walk at liberty as we obey his precepts. So if we continue in obedience to the word we will blessed in what we do. The blessing comes in the doing...the practice of the word...not the reading. So after looking into the mirror...and hopefully really seeing what you look like....we will do what God says...DO the word. C.S. Lewis had this to say about "acting" in Screwtape Letters.

"Let him do anything but act. No amount of piety in his
imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will. As
one of the humans has said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but
passive ones are weakened. The more often he feels without acting, the less he
will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to
feel."

Love Mom