I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1
This morning, I pause my study of Haggai to prepare for leading Sunday school tomorrow where our focus will be on Old Testament prophecies of Jesus - The Life of Jesus (Part 1 of 2). One of the OT prophecies comes from Psalm 40:6-8 and discussed in Hebrews 10:14 where Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. I am then drawn to Romans 12:1 where Paul exhorts believers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice. John Piper, in this post on DesiringGod.com, draws on this to share that while mercy to others is important, worship of God is first and foremost and that "Before Paul describes our new life in Christ as merciful, he describes it as worshipful. Before you think that the Christian life has everything to do with being merciful to people, realize that it has everything to do with being worshipful toward God....Before we give ourselves away in mercy to man, we give ourselves away in worship to God. This is crucial to see. We must never let the Christian life drift into a mere social agenda. I use the word “mere” carefully, because if God is left out, our mercy will be mere social agenda. We do no one good in the end if we are not worshiping and leading them to worship in the acts of mercy that we do. If our good deeds are not expressing the worth of God, then our deeds are not worship, and in the end, will not be merciful. Making people comfortable or helping them feel good on the way to everlasting punishment, without the hope and the design that they see Christ in your good deeds, is not mercy. Mercy must aim to make much of Christ. No one is saved who doesn’t meet and make much of Christ. And not to care about saving is not merciful. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that Paul put worship before mercy and that he define the Christian life as worshipful before he defines it as merciful."
Amen! We exist to worship and bring glory to God!
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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God worthy of my worship and I know I exist to worship You and bring You glory. You are SO good...and SO good to me. Thank You Jesus for my salvation and for the mercies that are new every morning and never cease. I am undeserving. My sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dsutin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
