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.--Romans 12:1-2
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Here we are at the last offering. What are we to offer to God...our wills. This "will" not take long and in explaining I will review the others....cause I should have said something in the very first study that I did not say.
Before we give our bodies, or our minds or our wills to God we must give Him our soul. Nothing else can be offered to God if the soul hasn't been offered first. Giving God your soul occurs at the moment of sincere belief/repentance...the moment of conversion An unsaved person cannot give God his body for service, cannot give God his mind, and cannot give God his will. In fact, He cannot respond to God at all. 1 Corinthians 2 says, that the natural man can't even understand the things of God. They're utter foolishness. Dedication of the body, mind and will to God does not occur unless spiritual rebirth has occurred first.Whatever an unregenerate man offers God will not please God because without faith, the bible says, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
With that said, finally, we are to present our will to God. Now because we have presented the soul, the body, and the mind to Him already this part comes...this part is the fruit. Because we have saturated ourselves in His word and allowed it to transform us and control our thinking, we will approve or know what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. God's will is in His word. We will surrender our will and align it with His. Why...because we delight in Him..we delight in His Word...we know that His will is good and perfect and acceptable. You will say Lord...I want what You want. Nothing else matters...I want what You want for me...You know best. Here is what John MacArthur says that I think sums it all up:
"A renewed mind will be expressed in a submissive will and in a body presented as a living sacrifice. It all comes in one package. You can't present your body unless you have a renewed mind because you won't have the will to do that."
This is not something you do once but something you do moment by moment throughout your Christian walk...you surrender...because in surrender is victory. You moment by moment take yourself off the throne of your heart and surrender the control to Him. This is done by the work of the Spirit in your heart using the Word of God. As we renew our minds we begin to think the way God thinks as revealed to us in His word. His word literally becomes a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths. We see that His will is not hard, but good and acceptable and perfect.
Girls, allow the Lord to renew your minds...stay in His word. As you abide in His word, God will renew your mind so you can walk in His will which will take sacrifice. The payoff...being holy and acceptable to God. No greater goal than that...none.
Love
Mom
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