WEEK 04 | FOCUS POINT

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans 12:1

As I read over this verse, a few things stick out to me right off the bat.  The writer of this verse, Paul, is pleading with the reader.  The seriousness of that word tells me that what he’s about to plead a case for is of the utmost importance.  What is is he pleading his brothers and sisters in Christ to do?  To give.  Having looked up the word “give”, the definition states to freely  transfer the possession of something to someone.  We are to freely transfer the possession or right of our bodies to God.  The reason?  All He has done for us.  Paul doesn’t stop there at commanding us in what to do, but continues to urge believers to let them be a sacrifice to God.  The definition of sacrifice means “surrendering a possession as an offering to God or to a divine or supernatural figure”.  Sacrifice could mean a variety of things to many people, but Paul includes this very significant detail, a sacrifice that the Lord would find acceptable.  By this, we worship Him.  

This was a verse God showed me very early on in my walk with Him.  Actually, it was Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2.  He had a lot to teach me in regards to how I view my body and the way I thought, renewing my mind and giving me an eternal perspective, a “heavenly lens” to see through so to speak.  Prior to my relationship with Christ, my actions would easily be defined as desecrating His holy temple.  The Bible states that our body is a temple.  This is found in 1 Corinthians 6:19,  “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own…”  One of the first things God did in my heart, was remove the excess junk built up around my heart and a lot of that pertained to how I viewed my body and how the world had shaped that viewpoint.  From the things I wore, to the alcohol I’d consume, to the tattoos I’d gotten, all of it was done in such a manner that was not pleasing or acceptable to God.  How He worked in my life is a true testament to the power of His Holy Spirit and how it can change lives.  He came in and transformed me from the inside out.  He covered me up, he completely cut out any and all desire to consume any alcohol, He redeemed my tattoos stories and He purged me of all the excess I deemed necessary at one point in my life.  It really boils down to Him renewing the way I thought.  Romans 12:2,  “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” 

And I finally had learned what that looked like, had a healthy view of my body and saw the beautiful workmanship of God’s creation, how He made me and accepted it and have grown to love it and treat my body with care and like the temple that it is.  I carry within me the indwelling spirit of Jesus Christ and that means, I need to make certain what I consume, what I wear, reflects my love for the Lord and honors His name through what I choose to do with my body.