1)
I Beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
2)
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3)
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every
man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith.
4)
For as we have many members in one body, and all members
have not the same office:
5)
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every
one members one of another.
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H |
uman beings
frequently employ strange thinking. Too often, as opposed to embracing an
opportunity to be "noble," they make the choice to be
"mediocre."
One
would think that since our God is so good to us, we would embrace His
requirement and attempt to live as close to Him as possible. Instead, we seem
to want to know His requirements simply so that we can see how far we can go
before we end up "in trouble." Despite the fact that we possess the
Spirit which created the heaven and the earth—the Spirit which called the end
from the beginning—we question His plan, evidently, believing that ours is
better. But, the situation in which we now find ourselves requires the giving
up of all of our own plans.
Commonly,
most of us had our lives planned from the point of our childhood. And, just as
commonly, that plan did not include God. If we willingly gave up our own
ambition after salvation, we would avoid problems, but usually, this just isn't
so. Only by accepting that only His plan is effective will we become productive
for Him. We cannot guarantee the success of anything we devise to do; but
anything authorized by God has already been proven to succeed.
Redeemed
man must come to know that Jesus has a right to plan for us, for indeed, it is
He who has given us life. Since it was Jesus who gave us life, then the
indication is that we were dead. One who is dead, thinks,
feels and believes nothing. Therefore, when one is brought back from the
"dead" through the means of salvation, what he feels, thinks and
believes of himself is of no importance. We are not to do as many others and
carry out our own will in the name of the Lord. He is to be "the Captain
of our Salvation" and lives.
Man
has fallen into a dangerous trap of self-elevation and gratification. Though
this is largely the norm in these last days, it will lead one to the same and
as it always has—destruction.
The
things with which the World finds itself consumed; that which defines one's life, and exactly the things the Lord intends to provide for
us. You see, He never intended for us to have the "burden" or working
for Him and struggling to provide for ourselves. His work is important and so
deserving of the commitment of our time and life that He promises to provide
for us that we might be free.
Despite
the fact that it is God who gave all for our salvation, many lives as if
believing that salvation obligates Him to us. On the contrary, it is we who are
obligated to Him. It seems so hard to fulfill that obligation because
"obligation" means responsibility." Unfortunately, in the day in
which we live, we are taught to work to make our lives as easy as possible. This
day is one of self-protection and self-preservation and whatever stresses me
the least, is what will please me.
Well,
what we would most like to see happen in our lives is most often not going to
be "the perfect will of God" for us. Though for many years, people
have spoken of God's "permissive" will, there is no such thing. One
is either in His will, or not.
Just
exactly what is "the perfect will of God"? For the individual, it is
that path or course which his life must travel in order to work in him that
which is necessary for him to become what the Lord sees that he can.
When
we are instructed to "...be not conformed," we are being admonished
not to try to get away with what the rest of the world does, but rather,
remember that our transformation now constrains us to do things God's way. After
all, this is Him "business," and we must be willing to do whatever He
says. Our responsibility then before God is simply to do as he says. Being
found in the perfect will of God requires obedience -- for which there is no
substitute.
If this
"people of excuses" is to ever recover, we will have to stop focusing
on bad things that happen and begin focusing on the reasons why we should serve
the Lord. For despite how we may excuse ourselves and others, no one will get
to heaven using an excuse. We will get to heaven only by living a sinless life.
Nothing else will do.
The
PERFECT will of God is not hard to occupy. We see so many people fall today and
hear so many times that it is hard to be saved. This is true only when we,
ourselves are trying to do the saving. That which is
entrusted to the Lord (that is, put into His hands and under His control), is
assured of being "handled." This, as well as all other aspects
of our lives must be submitted to the will of God. Only 100% submission will
do.
Being
able to identify the will of God is key to survival,
today. Too many times, we judge a situation after salvation using
before-salvation knowledge. We are adamantly opposed to suffering what we feel
is not of God—particularly if we have faced it before. What we forget is that
all that comes to us is approved by Him. And perhaps the greatest realization
we must have is that, when one is saved, the Lord does not stop trials and
tests, but rather changes their purpose. What was meant to destroy us before
salvation is now meant to elevate us.
To
develop muscle in anything or excel in anything, one must work at it. How can this
be done in salvation? By operating in all areas of one's life
according to God's standard of salvation. This is the only way to ensure
victory.
It
is by dwelling in the perfect will of God that saints are prepared for heaven.
Today's religious agendas emphasize many things from physical healing to mental
healing, women's ministry to holistic ministry; yet if your program does not
emphasize your responsibility to dwell in God's perfect will, you and your
favorite "ministry" might find yourselves "ministering"
in the wrong place.