“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. 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
As we think about sanctification and the purpose of life, we need to make sure that we are not cutting God out of it. There is no way to grow in holiness without God! There isn’t a shortcut or a way to accomplish it faster or without struggle. Instead, it is designed to bring us back to Him time and time again, because He is the source of all good things.
We not only want to get more of what He has to give: more love, more grace, more good, but we also want to honor Him for His unmerited kindness toward us. Think about how this works:
1. We see God’s goodness and want to give back to Him for it … worship.
2. We worship Him by getting rid of the things in our life that are offensive to Him, that keep us from Him.
3. As we do this, we are regularly shown how much there is to repair (depth of sin).
4. It makes us more thankful as we see how much grace God has given (and continues to love us).
5. Motivates us to worship …
This process is the core of “being Christian.” It is not about having the right verses to quote, or listening to the right music, or finding whatever new Christian fad promises you results. Being a Christian means being a worshipper. Worshipping God is not just giving things up, but it is about filling us with His grace (which mean other things must be removed to make room for it). The only way to trust and believe in this is to engage in it. You cannot experience the freedom of grace until you are willing to test it. Start today with trusting God with one thing and let Him show you how He works.