Title: Romans 12:1-3 The Perfect Devotee
Contents
full devotee
Romans 12:1-3
Two thousand years ago, a small group in Nazareth began to transform a world filled with hate, disappointment, and darkness with love and light. Although they were a small, powerless crowd, they were warriors armed with Jesus Christ. They are not very good in appearance, but when they went out into the world, they were able to change the world, who gave their lives to the Lord.
Today's verse 1 urges devotion, saying, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” In the 3rd Women's Evangelism meeting, if we dedicate ourselves as living sacrifices pleasing to God, our families must We believe that the beautiful / church / society will also change into a healthy one. So, what is total commitment to change?
1. You must not follow the fashion of the times.(2)
Generation does not simply refer to the world, but to the changing world, that is, the era. It means visible shape. Christians cannot follow the flow of the times alone. Of course, Christians are people of the world as long as they live in the world. But we are Christ's people, possessed by Christ. Therefore, one who is possessed by Christ cannot change according to the world. The change in the world today is so great that it cannot be expressed in words.
I heard a university professor having a hard time. It is said that in the old days, there was no reason to say that he was an incompetent professor even if he lectured on the same content for 10 years in an engineering classroom. However, Yosai says that even if he tells the same story for a year or two, he will no longer be able to stand on the platform. It is an example of the tremendous development of knowledge.
Still, there must be something that does not change in those things that change. There must be something that does not change even if the color changes. Christian faith must not change. The beautiful life of saints cannot be changed. Why is the beautiful life of saints changed?
1) Unrighteous desire
My mother was seriously ill and underwent surgery. he said he would die soon knight revival. When my mother returned home, it was kept in the closet (passbook, seal, building right, etc. were all gone). The children searched the house to get each other first when their mother died. When the mother found out about it, she wept loudly. During the operation, we tried to steal each other's property without standing by one of our children, so how can we not cry! This is today's state. This should not be followed.
When we become prisoners of the world's desires, we cannot sustain our own faith. They become slaves to that vain desire and are dragged around.
2) Spiritual Void
When the spiritual power is weakened, it is impossible to defend against the evil forces that invade the world like a pandemic. If we tolerate the forces of evil and compromise properly, we will eventually lose our spiritual life.
Hebrews 3:14 “If we hold fast to the end what is certain from the beginning, we will become partakers of Christ.”
Everyone! Compromise, tolerate vain, perishable things to be offered to God
You can not. If you really want to dedicate yourself to God, don't be like this generation.
We must firmly defend our pure faith and the beautiful life of the saints.
2. You must renew your mind and receive change.
What does it mean when you say, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (verse 2)? It means to change the essential form. It means that the inner person, that is, the original base, must change, rather than imitating the fashions or outward appearances of the passing world. Life cannot stand still. Either imitate evil or follow good. Therefore, we need a strong will to be good. St. Bernard said, "When the desire to be good is gone, you are already evil." In other words, a person can lead a good life only when he has a strong desire for good.
Dear saints, who can have such a strong desire for goodness? It's not something anyone has. must change. It is impossible without changing the heart, which is the original foundation. Therefore, true devotion cannot be made without change. So how is change possible?
It does not mean that I am being changed by myself, but that I am being changed anew by the Holy Spirit. This change is not a temporary change or a one-time change, but a constant and continuous change.
Humans are emotional animals. No matter how coolly you live according to your reason, and no matter how fair you are, you are governed by your emotions, so you have no choice but to live with your emotions. Emotions govern reason and even intellect, so once emotionally perverted, no matter what anyone says, it cannot be corrected. Even though you know you shouldn't do that, you end up dealing with your emotions. However, you should know that a person who controls emotions is a greater person than a person who lives by emotions. Do you believe in Proverbs 16:32, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his heart than he who takes a city.” Do you believe?
Humans have some scary emotions.
The scariest emotion is hate.
There were also women who were suffering mentally. He went to the hospital to get rid of his anxiety and restlessness, and he tried to pray, but he did not get better. So he was in pain and suffering, but he listened to his concerns because he asked for counseling. The pastor who was listening said to him, "Do you have someone you hate deeply in your heart?" When I asked her, she said with tears in her eyes, "Pastor, I hate my husband. I hate it so much that I want to kill him. I hate it even though I know that hating will block my prayers. I can't." Now, this woman has brought a disease that destroys her because of her hatred for her husband in her heart.
Hatred destroys one's self. That is why we must not leave hate in our hearts. You have to chase him out right now. Hate, go away! Go away, Satan! If we have hatred in our hearts, we will not be able to come before God, our prayers will not reach us, and in the end we will only harm our own health. May you transcend the feelings of hate.
If you do not throw away this feeling, it will not help you in your spiritual growth.
Anxiety and fear.
It is written in 1 John 4:18-19, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has a punishment...". He said that fear comes with punishment. Even in our hearts, if we fear, 'I will not get sick,' we will get sick. If we fear, 'I will not or will fail,' we will eventually perish. is to be broken. Fear or anxiety is to keep in mind that the devil has come into my heart and is doing a destructive operation to kill and destroy my heart. God has placed love and peace in our hearts, not fear.
So what can we do to avoid fear?
It is said that perfect love casts out fear. Just as a child is not afraid if it is embraced by a mother's love even when the dark night comes, just as we are embraced in the arms of Jesus Christ, who made the heavens and the earth and everything in them, and surrender everything, our fears will disappear by itself, and peace in our hearts like a river. The power of healing will flow in the midst of peace, and blessings will overflow.
frustration.
It is a terrible disease that destroys us. People are easily frustrated and discouraged. You don't like discouragement. God forsakes those who are discouraged, and the devil treats those who are discouraged as his own food. (You are my food.)
Hospital doctors also say, 'No matter how good the medicine is, if the patient is in despair, it cannot be saved.' However, it is said that 'even if the disease is incurable, the patient who fights with courage and strength through faith can be saved'. So please do not be discouraged.
guilty.
When people commit a sin, the guilt piles up in their minds like garbage. This accumulated guilt appears even in dreams, while sleeping, and while walking on the road, and appears even when you are not, resulting in anxiety and fear. If you keep crushing the guilt without washing it away, it seems to go away, but it doesn't. On the contrary, it enters your heart and begins to bite you like a viper. However, if we confess our sins before God, He forgives us of our sins, delivers us from all unrighteousness, and washes us clean. Isaiah 1:18 Do you believe?
I hope that all of us long for the filling of the Holy Spirit to be transformed and always lead a devoted life with a beautiful heart and a blessed heart.
3. We must discern the will of God.
The second half of verse 2 says, “Let them discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” How, then, can we discern the will of God? As we saw earlier, our hearts must first be changed by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. When the mind is turned toward God, it is possible to discern this will of God.
First, we can discern the good will of God.
What does ‘good will’ mean? direction of God's will. So, where is God's will headed? God's will is always for good. Because God is good by nature, he created it according to his good will when he created it, and he also works good in the providence of the universe. If we know the will of God, who is good, we must also move toward good in what we do. We must not tolerate the pursuit of something that is not good for any self-interest or satisfaction. We must live a good life that actively follows the good will of God. Only then is that life a living sacrifice, a desirable devotion.
Second, we can discern the will of God.
What does 'rejoice' mean? object of meaning. In other words, it is not pleasing to man, but pleasing to God. In many cases, it is not known how this is going wrong. It is because they live according to their own liking rather than please God.
Before he repented, Paul severely persecuted believers, saying that he was doing what is most pleasing to God. He was instrumental in the killing of deacon Stephen. He devoted himself to imprisoning many people in prison. He considered it the greatest dedication. However, he was intoxicated with his own zeal and could not discern the will of God. It was rebellion, not pleasing God. Therefore, right devotion is possible when we live by discerning what pleases God, not self-zeal or self-satisfaction.
Third, we can discern the perfect will of God.
What does 'perfect will' mean? means there is no shortage. Ethical integrity. We Christians are people who should live by imitation of God's moral perfection without blemish. “I am perfect, so be ye perfect.” When we live in imitation of God's perfection, we can live as a living sacrifice. A devoted life is possible only when we discern this will of God.
Who can not be swayed by the winds of this generation? Who can serve God with a changed heart? Who can discern the will of God? We can all. In and with the Holy Spirit, we can do it all.
That way, we can all live a life of total devotion to God. Dear brothers and sisters, I pray that all of us lead a fully devoted life, so that we can transform our homes into beautiful and healthy ones.