DaySpring Daily Word of Inspiration: Romans 12:1 – 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.
What is the best thing that you can offer to someone? For one person it may be money. For another it could be time away from their kids. Still for another it could be simply saying that you love them. So what would make a person say or do any of these things for someone else? Could it be due to compassion, duty, favor, or personal kindness for that person? If you’ve answered yes to any of these, you are displaying mercy for someone.
Mercy is defined as compassion, favor, and an act of kindness. The other part of this mercy is its forbearance shown to an offender or an enemy; that means someone who did wrong against you or brought you harm. In the examples stated above, it was the compassion that exists in each of us that lead us to an action. Well what kind of mercy would you have on a person who wronged you – intentionally or accidentally? I believe it may be safe to say, because of our human nature, we wouldn’t be as loving or forgiving (so quickly). Thank God he isn’t human!
God demonstrates his love for us through his mercy unlike every human who has ever lived. We have wronged God continually. We have sinned daily (yes, even today) and not thought two shakes about it. We have made promises to him and not been able to keep one (well I haven’t – I can’t speak for you) and we have put everything else in our lives ahead of him and made it our priority while putting him on the back burner. In all of that, God didn’t do as we would have done. He didn’t write us off and say, “I’m done with these people!” He did way more, he actually sent his son to die for us just so we could have a relationship together. This is mercy Paul is speaking about that should urge us as followers of Christ to move in obedience of being a living sacrifice with our bodies.
God has been merciful and given us chance after chance, after chance to get our lives on track with him. How are you doing today with those opportunities? Are you squandering them and treading God’s mercy under your feet with no regard or are you compelled to be different and changed in your mind, soul, and body to show gratitude to God for not treating you as your sins surely deserve?
The scripture is clear that when we consider God’s mercy it should produce something in us that makes us different; a living sacrifice – sacrificed to God to use as HE would intend, not you any longer; being pure in mind, thoughts, intentions and every other facet of your being. Can we say we’ve been acting accordingly to what God’s grace has done for us individually?
Today as we end the week we are yet again presented with another opportunity from God to get our act together. The question now would be do you really want to live for God because you appreciate his mercy or it just doesn’t matter to you at all? You don’t have to tell me, just know this; your actions speak louder than words. We pray your actions are screaming out to God in obedience, submission and self-sacrifice. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!