Let God Be God

08/28/24 – 09/04/24

Our Only Response

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  09/03/24

Read Romans 12:1-8.

“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” (Romans 12:1). In light of God’s mercy toward us, Paul commands us to offer our lives to Him in worship. God has graciously given us everything we have, and acknowledging His tremendous love, we must give it all back to Him.

Worship is our only response to God’s great mercy. It is our only response to His unbelievable, indescribable, unfathomable grace. It is the only way for us to appropriately express our gratitude and thanksgiving. And it is the secret to lasting contentment, joy, victory, and satisfaction.

Worship is meant to include every moment of our lives—not just on Sunday, but Monday through Saturday, too. True worship means daily dying to yourself and living for Christ. Wherever you go, there must go a living sacrifice, whether you are in the boardroom or on the factory floor, whether doing housework, parenting, or serving others. Living for God is a slow death of our pride, will, and self-sufficiency; that’s why it’s often more difficult to live for Jesus than to die for Jesus.

Your motive for giving your life to God must always be generated out of a response to His mercy toward you. True worship is not about what you can get from Him, but what you can give to Him. It’s about showing God how much the mercy and grace He has lavished upon your soul means to you.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for lavishing Your love upon me and making me new. I want to be like You, Jesus, that You might receive honor and glory for resurrecting my dead heart and giving me eternal life. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).