Living Our Faith

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him." Romans 12:1

  • Home
    Home This is where you can find all the blog posts throughout the site.
  • Categories
    Categories Displays a list of categories from this blog.
  • Tags
    Tags Displays a list of tags that has been used in the blog.
  • Archives
    Archives Contains a list of blog posts that were created previously.
  • Login

Living for Jesus

Posted by on in Upcoming Sermon
  • Font size: Larger Smaller
  • Hits: 3810
  • 1 Comment
  • Print

After 2 Sunday's without a blog entry, we're back! This Sunday is Cadet Sunday. The Scripture reading is Romans 12:1-2, 9-21.

Throughout the year, the Cadet group has been studying the “what now?” of our Christian walk, as in: “Now that I am a Christian… What do I do? How do I live? What does living as a Christian look like?” These are important questions for both new Christians and long-time Christians. Upon hearing the Gospel – the Good News that Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, became human, lived a perfect life, died, rose again, and ascended back into heaven for us and our salvation – we constantly need to look at ourselves and the lives we live and make sure we are living “rightly” in view of God’s mercy and grace.
 
The theme verse this year for Cadets was Ephesians 3:7 – “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.” In this verse, Paul tells the Ephesian Christians that because of God’s mercy and grace expressed in the Gospel and made known to Paul through the working of the Holy Spirit, Paul became a servant of the Gospel. He didn’t become a servant to impress God or to earn his favour, but as a means of gratitude for the gift of God’s mercy and grace.
 
The theme, then, for this Cadet year was, “Using what we have been given to be a blessing to others, all for the glory of God.” The theme indicates that a change must happen the very moment God’s power works in us to hear and understand and believe the Gospel. We are called to be servants no longer seeking our own glory, satisfaction, honour, and praise; we are called to serve God in everything. By the gift of God’s grace given to us through the working of God’s power in the Holy Spirit we must live in a way that expresses our gratitude toward God.
 
That’s where Romans 12 fits in so nicely with this theme. All year the Cadets actually studied James, but Romans 12 picks up on many of the same themes and instructions. In Romans 12, like James does through his letter, Paul offers the Roman Christians practical instruction on what the Christian life looks like. Verses 1-2 serve as a heading to all the different sections that follow; in all areas of life, all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour are called to live in ways that glorify Him. Paul writes, “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. 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 12:1-2)
 
What follows in verses 3-8 is Paul’s instructions to those in the church to live together in unity and to work together as the body of Christ. Verses 9-13 can apply to both life inside and outside the church, and verses 14-21 are generally written to instruct Christians in their interactions with the larger society. In some sense, all these commands can be summed up by the slogan that was popular during the time I was around Calvin College's campus shown in the picture below.
 
b2ap3_thumbnail_loveGodloveothers.jpg
 
All of these instructions from Paul in Romans 12 answer the, “How must I live as a Christian?” question (much like James’s letter does). Paul has readily admitted ahead of time that it is not by obeying these instructions that we are saved, but it is because of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit within us that we submit ourselves to these instructions. In order to live a life of gratitude toward the God who claims us, calls us, gives us the gift of faith, and redeems us through the once-and-for-all sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, on the cross, Paul instructs us to offer ourselves – our very lives – as a living sacrifice to the God who gives us life through the death and resurrection of His Son.
 
This passage reminds me of the song, “Living For Your Glory,” by Tim Hughes. The lyrics are below and you can listen to it on YouTube (HERE is a link):
 
Verse 1
What good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul?
What good is it to make a sweet sound but remain proud?
In view of God’s mercy, I offer my all.
 
Chorus:
And take my life, let it be, everything, all of me,
Here I am, use me for your glory.
In everything I say and do, let my life honour you,
Here I am living for your glory.
 
Verse 2
The road I’m on it leads nowhere without You,
And the life I live it finds meaning in surrender.
In view of God’s mercy, I offer my all.
 
Bridge
I’m seeking first the Kingdom,
I’m seeking first the Kingdom of my Lord.
 
Take some time to read Romans 12. I encourage you to read the entire chapter. It is an excellent reminder, as is the theme from Cadets this year, that the way we live matters. The way we live every day – not just on Sunday – is to be a response of gratitude to God for the gift of his mercy. That is our true and proper worship - living not for ourselves but, instead, living for Jesus.

 

Rate this blog entry:
1

Comments

  • Guest
    Margaret Thompson Saturday, 27 April 2013

    Thanks, Aaron. I needed to be reminded of that. I love you! Mom

Leave your comment

Guest Friday, 29 March 2024

Upcoming Events

There are currently no upcoming events.

Devotionals