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Don’t Let the World Distract
I like the characterization in my Bible of theses verses as part of Paul’s guidelines for “living as a redeemed people in a fallen world.” His words cause me to immediately evaluate how I spend my time and my days and bring me to consider where I currently fall in the progression discussed during Alan’s sermon on October 26th.
The verses to me provide a guide for becoming a Christ Centered person of the church and kingdom – a requirement of taking that difficult step. To achieve this we are asked to offer ourselves completely as living sacrifices to a God that has blessed us with the forgiveness of our sin – to put aside the concerns of this world and focus constantly, daily on him and his direction. Only by taking that step can we become complete and total worshipers of Christ.
Personally I am far from being a Christ Centered member of the church. I grew up attending church, and it was a prominent part of my early life. But as I made my way through middle school and high school I was working through motions. It was a habit and not a personal commitment or relationship, and in college I largely stopped attending church completely. I embraced grace, understood the tenants, appreciated the people and actions of the church, thought about church on Sundays, and sometimes prayed, but only since coming to Cumberland have I felt any progression in my personal relationship with Christ. In the context of these verses, today, my days are largely spent conforming to the pattern of this world, but I feel myself making progress. Paul’s words provide a guideline and goal to strive for. They are not a requirement of grace but a guide for becoming a fuller worshiper and follower of Christ.
Well put Joe. I can totally relate to the growing up with Church as a habit and not a personal commitment. Of course I only recognize it now in hindsight. Some major walls have been knocked down in my life to bring me face to face with my relationship with God.
Exactly because of grace I should want to be a living sacrifice. God help me when this becomes a “have to” thing. I’m so thankful for these promptings and reminders. Thanks, Joe.
At the end of this day, I plan on asking myself: “What did I do today that wasn’t conforming to the mindless, programmed, and often brainwashed patterns of this world?”
How will my 24 hours be seen as worship… or not? At the very least, I’m reading this scripture and meditating. That’s a start. This is a good start.
Last week I read something from Oswald Chambers: “We make the mistake in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice THROUGH death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives.”
What a great challenge Chris issued yesterday (and what a GREAT job he did).
1. Read and comment on Feedoneanother.com for five days.
2. Look for ways throughout our days to live a lifestyle of worship.
3. Find a few minutes each day to be still before the Lord and “proskuneo.”
You in?
Offering my life as a sacrifice…something that I have found hard to quanitfy. How do I do it? I can say that starting out my day on my knees in prayer is the best way for me to feel like I am starting things out properly. It’s easy for me to pray while sitting in my chair doing a devotion. It’s really easy for me to worship and pray in my truck while I am sitting in traffic. Getting on my knees though…truly takes an effort for some reason. I know that once I am on my knees, I can block out so many other distractions and just focus on God. But, it takes a lot more of a committment to pray like this than it does to pray in my truck. It’s easy to take the easy way out.
In times of difficulty, it’s very easy for me to get on my knees and pray. I feel like it’s the best way for me to truly surrender to God, to pour out my soul to Him and pray earnestly. But, I need to get on my knees daily for a time of worship as well, not just for earnestly praying for healing or other ‘big’ needs. There is a reason that police officers ask criminals to “get on your knees” or “get on the ground”. It’s the physical act of surrendering and it puts you in a completely defenseless position. You can’t fight, you can’t go your own direction, you have just given up control. That’s where I need to be every day: in a totally defenseless position in front of my Saviour, worshipping and giving Him glory for rescuing me.
First of all I want to that the people who have taken the time to do these bible studies. What unbelievable people we have in our church. We are all so far from perfect and so affected by distractions-that is why we need him. Joe, you said and I think we all know becoming a Christ Centered person for the Kingdom is a difficult step, but God knows our heart, that is all that matters-moving towards not away!!!!
“…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This important step in my Christian walk is what I neglect the most… renewing of my mind. I’m learning how important it is to spend time with God daily, read His Word, worship, submit and talk with Him. There have been times in my life when I have been extremely diligent and engaged, but more often than not I distance myself and neglect the importance of spending time with God. Looking back, the spiritual warfare that was surrounding me each time I got out of His will, stopped praying, reading, spending time with God, is clearly evident. God is moving me, changing me, opening my eyes to things in my life that need to be purged… and I am so thankful!
Joe,
Thank you for sharing. My christian path is very similar. Church became a social staple through middle school, but during high school, college, and my twenties it was an afterthought. At best, CHURCH was a secondary/separate part of my life often coming into conflict with my social life (like Seinfeld’s “world’s colliding” analogy), which makes being a part of CHURCH so difficult.
With JESUS living at the center of our lives, it frees us to live, love, and praise in all aspects of our life.
Thanks Jason, I feel where you are coming from exactly. In fact, I fear that left to my own direction after college I would have continued to drift but my wife was the insistent one and the faithful one and I couldn’t be more thankful.
We missed the message on the 4th (thankful for Cumberland’s AV and web crews allowing me to watch and listen to what is missed) but having this daily destination for reading and reflection this past week (somehow I managed to not know about it until then?) has been a big recharge and I am looking forward to it going forward. On the verses I like the way Alan put it – that it is exactly because of grace that I should WANT to be a living sacrifice – something I need to keep in the front of my mind every day.
Loved Greg’s analogy of police officers making people go to their knees because they are defenseless and surrendered there.
This verse made me think of another one that my son was learning this week — “So let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” (Matt. 5:16)
It’s difficult for me to be a living sacrifice or light when I get caught up and entrenched in the world. Only Jesus can remove me from that and give me His heart, His perspective. I pray that the more I’m on my knees, the less I’ll cling to the pattern of the world.
The adjective in ‘living sacrifice’ really stood out to me in reading this verse again. There’s such energy and activity in being alive for Christ.
Greg, I know what you mean! I pray in traffic or at my desk or while I’m cooking dinner, or a thousand other places throughout my daily life. But how often do I take the time to get on my knees and spend time with the Lord? It’s like any relationship. I spend so much time with my husband (it helps that we work at the same place so we get to commute together!) just doing day to day life stuff, but we still need those date nights, to get away from the distractions so we can really communicate. Getting on my knees before the Lord takes effort, but I know it will be worth it when I get there.
Thanks Joe – well put.
What if people stopped just go through the motions? Could we experience what we read about in Acts (the Lord added to their number daily)? Could Kingdom expansion become more about us offering ourselves to God than about a good church program?
Thanks Joe for the encouragement.
We all need to remember that the spiritual journey we are on is progressive. It takes a life time. The verse that I continually go back to is Philippians 1:6 “I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
If we have accepted the Grace, God will do the completing.
Thanks Joe and others.
Growing up in a legalistic church this verse was often used as a reason or way to separate/ or create a barrier between Christians from Non-Christians. A way to judge others both Christians and Non.
Thank you all for eloquently saying what I always thought of this verse but had trouble getting to because of the stigmatism of legalism.
The therefore ties this passage into everything that the Apostle Paul has just said at the end of chapter 11 from verse 33 through 36. In view of these verses the Apostle Paul is urging believers with this plea of grace, through the abundant mercy of God, to yield our bodies as instruments for God’s use. We are choosing to give our total selves over to God; mind, heart, and body. All believers, by God’s grace can make this sacrifice. The question is are we willing to do so?
I truly love this chapter in Romans. It’s in my face and calls me out on so many levels. “in view of God’s mercy,” if I really believed the view of God’s mercy that is so easily layed out for me, then giving up my body, my life, my finances, my control would be easy. I also know that worship goes both ways, I’ve never given worship without getting something back, spiritually engaging, spiritually fulfilling, mental and emotional peace. So if I know this…then why is it still hard. Why do I hold on to my rebellion, to my ownership.
Rob I like what you said, it’s a lifetime journey, but it is also the journey of a lifetime. So daily I will sacrifice myself, and daily I will worship.
I liked all the thoughts in reference to the police and “getting on your knees” to pray. Remember, it is not just about being defenseless; it is also about recognizing authority.
God’s will truly is- good, pleasing and perfect ~ I don’t know why I so often forget that fact.
Just some of my thoughts:
“to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, (holy and pleasing to God) this is your spiritual act of worship”
I wish I could bold & underline the last part of verse 1.
Paul starts the verse out with the big THEREFORE. Seems to tell me Paul has been building, teaching and equipping us for what he is about to say in the past 11 chapters.
And here we are to chapter 12 and Paul starts to tell us (the Christ believers) what we are now to do:
WE ARE TO WORSHIP. What kind of worship? A sacrificial worship?
Woah, woah. If I remember the Old Covenant was full of types of offerings and sacrifices.
But Christ fullfilled all that once and for all – right? So Paul can’t be talking about a sin offering here.
I believe the sacrifice that is being called for here is a sacrifice of praise.
In uninhibited gratitude for God’s grace, us sinners choose to give up our lives and give it over to God as a way of worship. Do I do this? I’d have to say sometimes I get forgetful of what all God has done. I guess that’s where the second verse comes in?
Ultimately I need to remember my sacrifice/life belongs to God, to be used to His glory as an act of praise & devotion.
Now that we are made alive in Christ, we must DAILY be his instrument!
Ben and I live in a townhouse community, where we share walls with two other families. Due to our busy schedules, it’s often easy for us to miss out on opportunities to talk with our neighbors…. At the end of October we got a new puppy. She has been one of our best tools for building relationships with people in our community. Since we are now obligated to taking her out on a walks, we find that we have made more of a presence in our community more then we ever have. Because of Lilly (our puppy), I had a great conversation with one of our neighbors today. We didn’t talk about God and I did not invite her to church. However, we made a special connection…it was an act of worshiping Christ…I was a listening ear for her…maybe she had a terrible day….maybe she didn’t have anyone to talk to most of the day….whatever her day was like, my heart’s desire was to hopefully show her a small glimpse of Jesus…and now I am motivated to make more intentional conversations with her in the future.
I like what Oswald Chamber’s said today in his devotional, “My Utmost for Hs Highest,” “…it takes God all time and eternity to make a man and woman after His own purpose. The only way we can be of use to God is to let Him take us through the crooks and crannies of our own characters.”
Great thoughts, Joe. I’ve always found “living sacrifice” to be somewhat oxymoronic, and yet – very pithy. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head.
This verse couldn’t be more appropriate for me today. I agreed to take on the 5 day challenge as it’s not much to ask of any of us who have been given so much by our loving Father. Yet, I almost went to bed today without doing my part. I did get very distracted by the world today. It was one of those crazy work days that can consume every waking minute. In the midst of that, I did stop briefly to express my thankfulness that I do have a great job and that business is good, but my God deserves so much more than that. Thank you for this wonderful, encouraging site and for challenging us to grow in our action. I do understand that my faith means nothing without action. So as I type on my blackberry just before midnight, I prepare myself to carry this message into tomorrow and have a more Christ centered day.
Thanks again for being the brothers and sisters that God called you to be.
God never ceases to amaze me. Whenever he wants to get something across to me He just keeps telling me until I finally get it. Tonight I went to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). We are studying Moses, the book of Exodus. Chapters 35 through 40 have to do with setting up the tabernacle. It goes into great detail because God is a God of great detail. Our discussion leader brought up the fact that our body is the dwelling place of the Lord (I Cor 3:16). We are the tabernacle (holy place set apart for God). We are God’s temple and what we choose does matter. The details matter. We should be careful about what we put in our mind. We should be careful about what we do with our time. God cares about every detail of our life.
In the old testament the tabernacle was filled with a luminous cloud when the Lord was there. It filled the tabernacle. It protected the people. It illunimated the camp. It guided the people. God poured out his grace in us by giving us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit fills our body. He protects us. He illuminates our minds and He guides us. Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us? Are we reading the Bible daily for guidance? Ask – pray – study – meditate – trust -obey.
Joe, good thoughts in your post. Keep up the good work.
It is amazing to me how many of the “tasks” of following God are in and of themselves the reward as well.
For example, when I engage in real heart felt worship of God, I almost always walk away from that experience better than I was before. When I give to God of my resources, he supplies my needs and shows me things I might have missed. When I take the time (which I feel I don’t have) to spend in prayer and study, my to-do list seems more manageable–too busy not to pray. When I serve those in need, I often feel as if I receive more from the encounter than those I have gone to serve.
The times that I catch myself going through the motions, conforming to the patterns of this world are the times that I am depressed, withdrawn, unengaged, and unchanged. The key is keeping the bar high, and taking God at His word… too bad I have to remind myself of this often.
Miss you guys in the south, hope to see you real soon.