The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Romans 13:1-7 (day two)

 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. v. 7

 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Colossians 3:23-24

The passage for this week is easy to read when you like, believe, and trust the authorities. Whether it be a boss, a group leader, or a government, we tend to accept this as a good maxim. What happens, however, when we disagree or do not support those in leadership; this passage becomes a bit more uncomfortable, doesn’t it? Putting aside times for necessary civil disobedience, most of us find ourselves in a position of following people we don’t admire at some point. We often find a sick pleasure in making sure everyone is aware of our opposition and our displeasure. We might think that submitting to them would be some kind of betrayal to our way of thinking.

Paul ends this passage with a broad brush. Give them what they are due: tax, customs, fear…and honor. He later says in his letter to the church at Colosse that we should do everything as unto the Lord. This means how we treat others even when we don’t like them or agree with them. This may be a bitter pill to swallow, but how is your opposition helping your witness?

“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” Madeline L’Engle – Walking on Water

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day seven)

And do not be conformed to this world…

The system of the world intends to gain conformity from its inhabitants. In fact, conformity is even celebrated in the name of individuality. People are encouraged to be “themselves.” What that really means is that the people are encouraged to follow the passions of their flesh. The world will always push the individual towards the idolization of self.

but be transformed…

The system of God does not demand conformity, though the system of the world attempts to sell it this way. Transformation is completely different from conformity. Instead of leaning on the flesh to be like the world, we are to deny our flesh and die to our old self. When we do so, we complete a metamorphosis and become something new.

by the renewing of your mind…

This transformation is ongoing. The world will fight back, and the old self will try to reemerge. But when we commit to drawing nearer to Jesus each and every day, we will find ourselves being transformed into something that looks less like the world and more like Jesus Himself.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day six).

Paul begins Romans 12 by appealing to “the mercies of God.” For eleven chapters, he has described God’s faithfulness in Jesus: sinners forgiven, enemies reconciled, slaves set free, and Jews and Gentiles welcomed into one family. Now Paul asks: What does a people formed by this mercy look like?

Mercy has a shape. It is not theory, abstract thought, or a spiritual platitude. It moves in and through his people in the messiness of life.

It looks like bodies offered to God and minds transformed. It looks like humility replacing pride and people using their gifts to serve one another. It shares with those in need, opens the door to strangers, rejoices with those who rejoice, and weeps with those who weep. Mercy blesses its enemies, refuses revenge, pursues peace, and overcomes evil with good.

God’s mercy was never meant to stop with you. Let it multiply through you into the lives of others.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day five). 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.
Paul uses an interesting phrase to describe the Christian Life- “living sacrifice”. From what we have learned and read in the Old Testament, we are familiar with the sacrificial system. Animals were killed and then put on the altar until they were totally consumed. They remained on the altar. Paul contrasts the dead animal sacrifices of the Old Testament Mosaic Law and borrows the imagery of temple ritual and altar service to redefine Christian devotion as a continuous offering of one’s life to God- living sacrifice. This idea of a living sacrifice was a jolt to those original readers and should be to us as well. And here comes the tension and difficulty with living sacrifices- being a living sacrifice demands an ongoing, intentional, regular, and frequent desire to surrender control of personal comfort, desires, and authority (self-sovereignty). The problem with living sacrifices is that they (we) tend to crawl off the altar deciding to live life as they (we) choose and see fit for them (ourselves). As we live “in view of God’s mercy” we are compelled to trust and surrender for His glory and our good.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day four)

Everyone is interested in knowing God’s will. We all want to know his will for our lives – what career to choose, who to marry, etc. We want to know his will when it comes to large-scale world events so that we can make better sense of them. Most people who believe in the existence of God have an interest in knowing his will.

Well, Paul lets us in on something here: we can know God’s will. We will never know it fully (this was his point in chapter 11), but God wants to make his will known to his people. God wants to be known by us. So what is this secret Paul gives us for knowing God’s will? Committing our whole selves to his service, offering ourselves as a living sacrifice, letting him renew our minds to think differently. It is through giving our entire life to Christ, allowing him to take up every part of us, that we can begin to look like Christ and revolve our lives around him. As we develop this kind of intimacy with Jesus and learn of him more fully, we will understand more of his will in our lives and in the world around us. Again, we will never know it fully in this life; but the more we allow him to renew us from the inside out, the more we think and live according to his ways, and the more we understand about what he would have us do.

Everyone wants to know God’s will; fewer are willing to submit their entire lives to him, allowing him to renew them completely. Few are willing to offer themselves as a living sacrifice. God is not a code to crack, but a person to know. How do you need him to renew you today so that you can know him more?

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day three)

² 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.

Throughout the history of God’s people, there were numerous points made to them about how far God had gone to rescue and redeem them from slavery and sin. Each time, God or a prophet would give a long, detailed account of how the people had sinned and turned from God, and then follow it up with how God was faithful to remember His covenant with them and rescue them. From there, the people were then called to live differently and to serve the Lord only. Deuteronomy 10:12-13 and Micah 6:8 are two of my favorite scriptures to remember because, in them, I am reminded that following God is not complicated, nor is it impossible. It is simple…remember what the Lord has done for you and live your life serving Him alone. He does not hide how to follow Him. He does not make us search for the secret of a good, successful life. He has laid it out for millennia now.

Here in Romans 12, we find another example of being reminded of all God has done for you, and what your response should be. We tend to overcomplicate what following God really means. We tend to add to it or lay down hoops to jump through for the terms of our salvation. But God has laid it all out for us already. Take a look at Deuteronomy 10 and Micah 6 today to see how God wants us to respond to Him and  be transformed by Him.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day one)

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. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Body, soul, mind, voice – it takes the whole person to sing and rejoice.

I was at a music conference many years ago, and one of the choral legends of the day, who was presenting a talk on tone or repertoire, said these words. He had learned them from another choral great whose career was focused on teaching children to love to sing. As you can imagine, I loved hearing these words.

Paul is not speaking to the believers in Rome as a worship pastor. His words serve as a reminder of how every part of our lives should be calibrated towards service to the Lord. How has God made you to love him with your mind? How can we truly know what the will of God is if we are withholding part of ourselves from him. Those things you love, the interests you have, the vocation you are in; these are all opportunities to love God in and through them. When we place those things on the altar, God transforms them to Kingdom purpose. This is your spiritual act of worship.

And, yes, this does help calibrate how we gather together each week. When we are fully engaged in praising the Lord, he is well pleased, and we are changed.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 11:33-36 (day seven) 

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36

My brain cannot even fathom the depth in that first sentence. Yet, I relate to that second one all the more because of the depth of the first. When I realize that I do not understand aspects of God, it leads me deeper into worship of Him. How great is our God that He operates beyond our comprehension? That is why He is God and I am a mere mortal taking up just a blip on the timeline of universal existence. I am insignificant, but I am significant enough that this God calls me by name. This is significant insignificance.

What is significant is while God was speaking the universe into existence, He did so with me in mind. When He died on the cross, He did so with me in mind. When He returns, He will do so with me in mind. The same goes for you and for all the saints who have gone before us and will follow after us. To this God be the glory forever. Amen.