Romans 12:1 – Verse of the Day 11/3/14

Have you ever received a gift that was so wonderful that you couldn’t wait to see the person who gave it to you so that you could thank them? Some gifts are so good they almost demand a response. Our happiness leads us to want to do something as a sign of our gratitude.

This idea of gratitude leading to response is exactly the idea behind this verse. Paul wrote this verse after spending the first 11 chapters of the book talking about how we experience God’s wonderful grace in salvation, and in this verse he begins to talk about how we should live in response. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice in order to save us through his death on the cross, and now we are called to live a life of self-sacrifice in response to this amazing gift of salvation.

God has not saved us in order that we can continue living as we did prior to receiving his grace. Rather, he invites us to consider His mercy, and the amazing truth that we have been saved from our sin. As you thank God for his forgiveness, consider how you might respond to God’s mercy and what it might mean in practical terms for you to make your body a living sacrifice to God.