#MeditationMonday‬ – Out of the abundance of a man’s heart, his mouth speaks.

Hello dear reader, hope your week began on a good note! Today’s #meditationmonday verse is the popular Romans 12:1 which we all know and love, however, I want to challenge you to see a few things we often miss out when we read this verse.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

— Romans 12:1 (NASB)

Now, this verse is often thrown around when it’s time to talk about sexual purity and how we treat our bodies. However, the first thing we often miss is that to present your body a living and holy sacrifice, you need the mercies of God. Without the mercies of God, it is impossible to subdue your flesh and make it presentable and acceptable unto God. We must all seek God’s mercies daily in our lives in order to fulfil this verse. God’s mercies are the only thing can save us through the challenges we have with this verse: if you’re struggling not to defile your body in one way or another, you need God’s mercy to deliver you from that lust of the eye or perverse thoughts in the mind. Whatever it might be, God’s mercy is always available to help you present your body as a living and holy sacrifice.

Read more about God’s mercy here: The Mercy of God is with who?

Secondly, we all see the “holy” part when we read this verse but we often miss the word “living”. What does it mean to be a living sacrifice?

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

— Hebrew 4:12 (NASB)

The word “Living” in this verse is translated in the Greek lexonic as:

ζάω

Transliteration: zaō

Meaning

1. to live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead)

2. to enjoy real life

   1. to have true life and worthy of the name

   2. active, blessed, endless in the kingdom of God

3. to live i.e. pass life, in the manner of the living and acting

   1. of mortals or character

4. living water, having vital power in itself and exerting the same upon the soul

5. metaph. to be in full vigour

   1. to be fresh, strong, efficient,

   2. as adj. active, powerful, efficacious

Why am I telling you all this? Well, it is because this word “living” in Hebrew 4:12 is the same as in the “living” in Romans 12:1. Meaning that the word of God is is the only thing that is truly living, and for us to present ourselves a living sacrifice, we must fill our bodies with the word of God. When your body (heart) is filled with the word of God, you become living too.

Just as Jesus said in Matthew 4:4: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Therefore, it is not just food that gives man vigour and strength, it is the word of God. Look at No. 5 under the meaning of zaō, when you are truly living and have the word of God in you, you become strong, efficient, fresh, active, powerful, efficacious. That’s the kind of living sacrifice God is looking for, this is what is acceptable in His sight.

Now this does not mean that you must memorize all scripture to become a living sacrifice. When we say fill your heart/bodies with the word, it means to know it, to desire it truly in your heart, just as in Joshua 1:8; to meditate on it day and night and observe to do according to all that is written in it.

The final thing we often miss is that it is our spiritual service of worship when we present ourselves a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, according to Hebrew 4:12.

Worship is so much more deeper than singing songs every now and then. We offer God a spiritual worship when we present our bodies a living AND holy sacrifice. It can’t be one without the other.

Although people focus on holy, “living” comes first.

If you are truly living, by the way we have gone about it earlier, you have no choice than to be holy. Think about it, you cannot be holy if you are not truly living because it is the living word of God in you that inspires holiness and a holy life. Too often when people teach this verse, they reveal the problem but offer no solution, they tell what it’s about without telling how to get there. To be living and holy, you need the active word of God in you.

Almost everything we do, we do with our bodies and this verse implores us to constantly offer spiritual worship to our maker by the way we present our bodies: a living and holy sacrifice!

Isn’t it amazing that we can give spiritual worship unto God with our physical bodies?

Remember, Cain offered a sacrifice to God but it was not acceptable in God’s sight. I want to challenge us today to think deeply about our spiritual service of worship; are we worshipping God in an acceptable way? If not, let’s make sure we take the right steps to ensure that our sacrifice and worship life are pleasing before the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, I come to you today to ask for your mercies over my life. As your mercy rains down on me, may I receive the grace to fill my heart with your word daily, that I may become a living and holy sacrifice acceptable in your sight, thereby offering you my spiritual service of worship. In Jesus name I pray (Amen).

Grace & Peace!