”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. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” Romans 12:1-3
The Methodist missionary Stanley E. Jones describes his life somewhere as “a love sacrifice in the great sanctuary of possibilities”. It feels like his words are taken from these verses in the book of Romans. Spiritual service
is more than what happens at certain times in church. Spiritual service happens continually in the life of a Christian. True freedom is fully committing oneself to God on a daily basis. It ́s in that freedom that a person is formed by something else than surrounding trends and ideals. In commitment there is the power to withstand temptation to be formed into our days form, and instead continually live in the renewing of our minds. God ́s will becomes clearer and more simple in commitment. It ́s not the same as God ́s will always being easy to follow and shape, but it is easier with regards to my will more and more going in line with God ́s will. I don ́t have to be driven by my exterior will that is led by the well-known pair: “I feel like it” or “I don ́t feel like it”. I allow myself to be transformed so that all the gifts God has laid in my life can have space and what is good, pleasing to Him and perfect can take more space. Starting the day with an act of commitment is a way towards freedom. And taking yourself a little bit less serious.
/Tomas Sjödin
Prayer
– I pray for a deeper desire that Your will, will become my will.
– I pray that my thoughts today will be formed by Your thoughts so that I can offer my life as a sacrifice of love in the great sanctuary of possibilities.
