The Christian life and service for the glory of God requires commitment and dedication. In his letter to the Christians at Rome, the apostle Paul wrote this: “I appeal to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present you 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).
In this exhortation, Paul is drawing our attention to our duties in the Christian life. This requires “sacrifice,” hence, he says we are “to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Coming to know the Lord Jesus as Savior gives us “entrance” into the Christian or spiritual life. However, we cannot just “stand still” and think thats all to it. If that was the case, we would never move on to maturity, which God expects of us. We are to “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen”(2 Peter 3:18). The word “grow” means to spring and develop to maturity. This can be accomplished by fully surrendering our body, soul, and spirit on the “altar of sacrifice.” Our “spiritual worship” means we offer to God an acceptable sanctified worship.
There is a beautiful hymn that comes to mind and which is a hymn for personal dedication. The author had to be inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these Spirit-filled words. “My spirit, soul, and body, Dear Lord, I give to Thee, A consecrated offering, Thine evermore to be. The refrain: My all is on the altar; Lord I am all Thine own; Oh, may my faith ne;er falter Lord keep me Thine alone” (Author: Mary D. James, 1810-1883). Surrender means a commitment to obeying God’s word and allowing the Indwelling Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct our lives.
When we stop to consider all that the Lord Jesus has done for us in His sacrifice on the Cross, shouldn’t we eagerly embrace opportunities to worship and serve Him? The Christian life is the outliving of the in-living Christ. It is no wonder Paul writes to the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). This means allowing Christ to work through us to accomplish His will, His way, and His purpose, that we may become truly His ambassadors.
Paul also instructs us “not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”Conform means to “comply with rules, regulations, standards or laws.” So then, if we conform to this world’s system means we would be living according to their way of life and not God’s. On the other hand, we must be transformed by the renewal of our mind. Transformation means to make a thorough change in character. Transformation starts in our mind processes and and works at shaping our character to bring it more in line with that of Jesus Christ’s. In other words we will not be victim to the world’s way of thinking.
“Transformation begins with our thinking and with consciences that are committed to listening to and obeying God. Our minds are renewed as we study His Word, and our hearts are changed as we submit to Him. We do not merely try hard to sin less. We learn to depend upon Him, observe His commands, and trust Him to mold us into people who please Him. It is then we discover how awesome it is to live in the center of His will because it is life at its very best—and there is nothing in this world that compares to it” (Dr. Charles Stanley, First Principles Bible, p. 1355). Dr Stanley is absolutely right. As Christians we must allow God to “mold us into people who please Him.” And this includes holding fast to God’s word, and claiming His promises.
Coming to know Jesus Christ as Savior is one thing. He must also be Lord of our lives. He as Lord we gladly own. Our allegiance is to Him. Therefore we abandon the former thinking and lifestyles of the world. Paul reminds us “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself)” (2 Corinthians 5:17,18). Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the Cross that resulted in our wonderful Salvation. Salvation means “preservation and deliverance.” Therefore, our lives should be wholly consecrated to the Lord with a transformed mind. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. We will then have a God-given purpose for living for His glory and praise.