SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1341

“Reasonable Service”

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. – Romans 12:1

Appeal by the Mercies of God

God’s Word appeals to our free will. He calls us to make a choice. In His great mercy and grace, He died for us so that we may have eternal life through Jesus. Are we willing, then, to live for Him while in the body here on earth?

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness… choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:14-15

Present your bodies.

God wants our entire being, body, soul, spirit, and mind, not just our occasional ‘good deeds’.

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. – Isaiah 64:6

Our entire being is to be engaged in true, spiritual worship of Him. God does not want ‘lip service’.

This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me… – Matthew 15:8-9

As born-again Christians, saved by grace, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are stewards of our bodies. We are not our own, having been bought with a price – Jesus’ death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Living Sacrifice

It has been said that the problem with living sacrifices is that they tend to crawl off of the altar.

The idea here is that of denying self and a sacrificial dedication of our lives to His service.

Then Jesus told his disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. – Matthew 16:24

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God; Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. – Colossians 3:2-3; 3:5

Holy

Sacrifices were to be unblemished and without spot. For us this is only possible through the righteousness of Jesus imputed to us. We cannot ‘live like the devil’ all week and worship Him in truth occasionally. Our entire life, 24/7 is to be a dedicated holy worship of God – all we say, do, and think.

But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:15-16

Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. – Ephesians 4:22-24  

Acceptable to God

The sacrifice of Jesus is acceptable to God. Our lives must transcend that of religion and denominational affiliation and be characterized by a continual personal relationship with the abiding presence of Jesus.

By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. – Romans 5:1 (CEV)

Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So, use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. (NLT) – Romans 6:13 

Reasonable Service

The original Greek word used here is ‘logikos’. It is derived from ‘logos’ meaning word, reason, or logic. It is translated into English in a variety of ways, all suggesting the idea of worship or service that is thoughtful and in concert with the divine Truth of the Word of God. It signifies much more that the occasional worship service or good deed. Our reasonable service is a lifestyle of worship.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. – John 4:23-24

Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. – Hebrews 12:28

With every breath, each day in the body of flesh, we are to glorify God. This is our practical, reasonable worship in serving Him and our fellow man in His Name.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 4:10-11