"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."
All too often we hear worship in terms of music--praise and worship music. But that's not what God calls worship. Given to us through the Apostle Paul, God says that worship is presenting ourselves holy and acceptable to God. Worship is to be all that we do, all that we are.
How do we worship God? We worship God by
(1) not being conformed to the values and thoughts and purposes of the world around us, but rather,
(2) by being transformed by the renewal of our mind to discern the values and thoughts and purposes of God's will.
The word 'acceptable' is repeated in verses 1 and 2. That's worth noting. When we think of what we offer God as worship, do we consider whether or not it's worthy of His acceptance? Or is it that we just feel good about what we've done and say we've done it for God? He says that to be acceptable, our worship is to be holy and good and perfect, coming from a renewed mind that is able to discern what the will of God is.
Transformation is key. The mind is where transformation takes place. God's Word is where we learn to discern what is good and acceptable and perfect--what the will of God is. God's will is that I glorify Him (1 Peter 4:11). His will is that I love Him with all my heart, all my soul, all my strength, and all my mind (Luke 10:27).
So I ask myself--Do I glorify God or myself? Is what I offer to God holy? Does it reflect His character or the world's? Do I offer my everyday living to Him--those things that my body does and thinks and values and purposes? Do I love Him with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind?
Is it about God....or is it about me?
