A Most Extreme Giving

Self-denial.  It's not a fun thing.  It is a sacrifice.  Have you ever sacrificed greatly for someone else? Perhaps it was a sacrifice of your money or time, to care for a dying relative.  Perhaps it was the decision to become a stay-at-home mom, which meant one of the cars would have to be sold. Love is demonstrated by sacrifice, the most extreme form of giving.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service. 2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. 

Romans 12:1-2 (NET)

If you are looking for a great definition of the "resplendent walk with Christ", this is it.

Warren Wiersbe1 points out that the "therefore" which begins this chapter is the fourth one in the book of Romans.  My pastor always says that when you see a "therefore", you need to investigate what it is there for.  :)  In this case, because of all that has been elaborated on earlier, because of God's amazing grace, we are urged, "exhorted" is the older English word, to dedicate our lives (after our salvation decision) to God.  In the book of Philippians (2:12), Paul puts it like this:  "work out your own salvation with reverence and awe."

What does this outworking of our already settled salvation look like?  What does it involve?

First of all, it involves the laying down of our bodies on the altar of sacrifice.  So often we are tempted, even after our initial salvation decision, to follow the urges of our bodies, to lavish our time and resources on them to focus more on outward beauty or physical pleasure than on the inner beauty of the soul.  At those times, the truth of our bodies being the "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 6:19-20) flies completely out the window.   In Romans 6:13 Paul speaks of how our bodies must be yielded to God so that He can use them as "instruments of righteousness".  This is a choice, a sacrifice, each Christian must make every day, and truly, several times a day if you are like me, who never met a Moon Pie she didn't like...

Recently, a young Christian couple I know got married.  They were both virgins when they said their vows.  Despite their extreme attraction to each other, they had waited.  They had presented their bodies a living sacrifice to God, and to each other.  The sad thing about this story is that they could name NONE of their contemporaries who had done the same, nominal Christians included.

Let's be clear.  You can't walk with Jesus Christ and at the same time live the way the world lives, wallowing in the whims and desires of your body.  His love, properly understood, evokes an extreme love response in us, His children.  "Present" - - a noun: a gift.  "Present" - - a verb: to give.  When we walk resplendent we are giving God the present, the gift of our yielded bodies. The words "reasonable service" in verse 1 are better translated "spiritual worship".  When we lay our bodies down, we are worshipping God, instead of making our bodies our gods.

Honestly, I struggle with this every day.  Do you?  The pull of the "old nature" is strong.  And, it is easy to get discouraged, because discouragement is one of Satan's most potent weapons against us. But, every new day is a gift from God! (That's why they call it "the present"!)  Each new day is a new opportunity to once more lay my body down on the altar of sacrifice. Thank God!

When He came to Earth, lived and died for us, Jesus Christ was the embodiment of God's "living sacrifice", wasn't he?  Talk about self-denial, extreme giving, extreme love!  He is.  God never asks us to do anything He was not willing to do higher and better.  "If He, who spared not His own Son, but gave Him up for us all..." (Rom. 8:32), how much more then must we live a resplendent life for Him?

Father, you call our self-denial a "reasonable service", but often, in comparison to the ways of this world it appears most "unreasonable".  Give Your children the strength to choose for You every day, and many times a day, as temptation looms strong.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

1 Wiersbe, Warren W. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2007. Print, p. 441.