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Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
New International Version (NIV)
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Last summer up in Montana I reread the little novella, A River Runs Through It. Fresh off a fly-fishing adventure with my friend Mark, I wanted to read more about catching fish. The fact that the book tells about a preacher in Montana with two grown sons provided another nice connection. The book brought back memories of the movie. Having just marveled at the Blackfoot river and its mighty Maker, I could envision so many of the scenes artfully described by the author. Of course, the book also tells of painful struggles and regrets.
Having a last name like Brooks gives me some affinity for running water. I have traced our family history all the way back to England finding that we most often lived by a stream or river of some sort (in fact most people did). So it is not surprising to me that I ended up next to Houston’s Buffalo Bayou. Though it is not a mountain stream, it possesses its own beauty. Desperate to fish, I once caught a perch out of it and threw it back.
No matter where we live in this world, we can all see the river called mercy. After Paul rose to doxological heights in 11:33-36, he says, “therefore I urge you.” Then Paul explains his amazing doxology with this little phrase, “in view of God’s mercy.” The only right response to our omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, all-loving, life-giving God is to give our lives back to him. In fact this is worship: not music or preaching or a particular style or preference or flavor of church. Worship is giving our bodies to God as living, holy, pleasing sacrifices.
When we worship well, we no longer conform to the pattern of the world. Instead we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. The point of Christian worship is not just to make us feel better about our preferences. If we sing all of our favorite songs and hear our favorite scriptures but never change, we have not, in fact, worshiped at all. For that matter, the point of the Christian life is not just to get to heaven when we die, but to be transformed starting at the moment of salvation. God changes the way we think in order to change the way we live. With the mind of Christ we have received, we can actually know what God wants us to do and do it. George W. Truett said, “To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge. To do the will of God is the greatest activity.”
So next time you see a river, or take a breath of air, remember God’s mercy is available to us. Taka long look at mercy and then give your whole life back to God. You will never regret it!
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Pray with me:
Father, we thank you for new mercies today and every day. Great is your faithfulness. Help us to live our lives, think our thoughts and make our choices today with a view to your mercy. Change us God. Change our thoughts and our words and our actions. Distinguish us from those who do not love you by the way that we give ourselves completely to you. Let us worship you today whether or not we attend a service. Make our whole day from sunrise to sunset a continuous service of worship and prayer, we pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Join us in memorizing the Word. Scripture for this week:
Matthew 6:1-2
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
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| Our 2020 Every Day with Jesus readings will follow the Foundations New Testament reading plan. Copies of the reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download your copy at REPLICATE.ORG
We would love for you to join us as we read the New Testament through this year, five chapters a week. In addition I will continue my long-standing practice of reading one Psalm a day through the year. Use Robby Gallaty’s H. E. A. R. plan to study each chapter (also found at REPLICATE.ORG). Highlight verses which speak to you, explain what they mean in your own words in a journal, apply them to your own life, then respond by doing what God tells you to do.
Joyfully,
Duane
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