Dave’s Monday Blast – October 10, 2016
The following text is familiar to INTENTIONAL Men: “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 (a reasonable expectation). Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2) Pastor Jim Denison helps us unpack three simple, yet profound keys to experiencing God’s best for our lives. As always, we have a choice to make…do we choose to be CONFORMED to this world or to be TRANSFORMED into the image of His Son? It is a choice between the temporal or the eternal.
Let us consider the first two keys this week:
1. Put Christ on the throne of your heart. Paul makes his “appeal” to all who are his “brothers” (the Greek term refers to men and women), those who have made Christ their Savior. He calls them to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (v. 1). “Present” is a technical term for presenting a sacrifice on an altar. “Bodies” refers to the entire life. Not just Sunday, but Monday; not just a tenth of our money, but all of our resources; not just our ethics at church, but our behavior at school and work. We are to do this as a “living sacrifice”, a daily, regular lifestyle.
In other words, enthrone Christ as the King of your life. There’s room for only one on the throne. Write a blank check to your Lord…promise that you will do whatever He wills you to do. This is a daily commitment God calls us to make.
2. Stop following the culture’s influence. Paul continues: “Do not be conformed to this world” (v.2a). The Greek literally says, “Stop being conformed to this world,” assuming that we are all tempted in this way. God wants us to refuse the culture’s values and priorities. Ask yourself what the fallen culture tells you to do…then reject it!
Of course this is certainly easier said than done. The temptations of the world are very real. So it begs the question, how do we enthrone Christ, i.e., place Him first in our lives at all times, and reject the influence of our culture? Stay tuned as next week we consider the idea of Transformation.
