I can write the following, but my prayer is “Lord, now
let me live out what I have written.”
Romans 12:1-2 are foundational verses, especially for
knowing God’s will.
Paul is “urgent” in the church of Rome, a church which he had
never been to, and now he is wanting to put all of the theology from the first
eleven chapters into practical application.
“Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, by
the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy
sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the
will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (NASB20)
I found an old check the other day and while it was
endorsed, it did not say “for electronic deposit”. I wondered if the money was
possibly never deposited. That’s the way adults are who say, “I used to do this
for the Lord.” God is more interested in the present, than the past performance
and resting on the past is like relying on a check that was never deposited.
Also, God is more interested in the present that pending promises.
Years ago, I knew a guy who told me, “I’ll serve the Lord when I get out of
college,” and then “I’ll serve the Lord when I get married,” and then, “Well, when
we get kids, then I’ll get back in church.” Today, his kids are grown, and he
is still not in church and not outwardly serving the Lord. Pending promises are
like a promissory note never claimed.
So, what about the present time? Now is the time to present
yourselves to Him as a sacrificial gift. To know God’s will, we cannot rely on
past glories or promissory pledges. What God wants done today cannot be done
tomorrow! There is an urgency.
Secondly, to know God’s will, there must be a surrender.
Paul calls it a living and holy sacrifice, not living and holy selfishness.
Many times, we pray “My will be done,” rather than “Thy will be done.” When we
present our bodies to God, that is more than just our flesh and bones, it’s our
will, our emotions, our desires. To know God’s will, we must sacrifice our will,
if it is different than His will.
Seeking God in prayer for our will is not wrong, but only in
the surrender and sacrifice of our will can God truly find that “spiritual service
of worship”. Worship literally means “worth”-ship, the declaration of how
worthy He is and worth implies cost. God is not our servant, we are His, and in
our worship, we declare our sacrifice to Him of all that we are.
God is not interested in our money, our abilities, or our
intellect. He wants us. He’s not concerned about your I.Q., but He greatly
wants your “I DO”. We think of “I do” in our marriage vows, but we are first
and foremost the Bride of Christ. Our capability is not nearly as important as
our availability.
Surrender is not just our will, but our worries as well. The
“what-ifs” must also laid before the throne of God. The future is not ours but God’s
to hold. Job said in chapter 3, verse 25, “that what I feared has come upon me;
what I dreaded has happened.” His worry did not cause it to happen, but it
caused him to live through it twice, once in dread and again in reality. Live
trustworthily in the present and trust God with the future.
Thirdly, to prove God’s will, there must be a transformation.
Paul speaks of a conformation to the world. To figure out which way the worldly
wind is blowing is conformation. But transformation is the renewing of the Holy
Spirit, the mighty rushing wind which comes from within.
We see conformation to the world by seeking to please what is
acceptable today. But transformation is what is acceptable to God forever.
Conformation is what is good for me. Transformation is what is good for God and
His Kingdom. Conformation to the world is performing for the current
perceptions. Transformation is allowing God’s perfection to be present in us
for His righteousness, not our self-righteousness.
In Exodus, the people would gather Manna each day from the
fields for their daily sustenance. We cannot rest on our laurels. We cannot
promise tomorrow. We must do today what we know is God’s will for us to prove
the will of God for the future.
