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Timothy: Romans 12:1-8
The Living Sacrifice, The Unity of the Church

1 Therefore, brothers, I call on you through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

3 For through the grace which is given to me, I say to everyone being among you, not to have high thoughts beyond what is right to think. But set your mind to be right-minded, even as God divided a measure of faith to each.

4 For even as we have many members in one body, but all members do not have the same function,

5 so we the many are one body in Christ, and each one members of one another,

6 but having different gifts according to the grace given to us, whether prophecy, according to the proportion of the faith;

7 or ministry, in the ministry; or the one teaching, in the teaching;

8 or the one exhorting, in the encouragement; the one sharing, in simplicity; the one taking the lead, in diligence; the one showing mercy, in cheerfulness.

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I thank You for granting me peace and health on this new day. I thank You for the Eternal Living Word of God that nourishes me every day. I ask Christ to strengthen me and the Holy Spirit to grant me wisdom. I am grateful to Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Father, I would like to present my understanding of Romans 12:1-8.

Dear Father, my understanding of verse 1 is as follows: Through the Apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit advised God’s people to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You, for that is the true and proper worship. I understand that only when I offer my body to You to be used according to Your will, then all my acts of worship will have meaning. Otherwise, my worship would only be external rituals. The true worship that You seek is in spirit and truth, meaning the worship that is in accordance with my understanding of Your will and obedience to Your will. You have shown mercy to me by granting me salvation and a position as a priest to worship You and intercede for others. My body has been sanctified and has become the Temple of God, as the Holy Spirit resides in me. But You want me to voluntarily offer my body to You to express my gratitude and obedience to the highest degree. For when I offer my body to You, I no longer live for myself but for Christ and die for Him. As a living sacrifice, my body will be used by You to perform good deeds of righteousness.

Dear Father, my understanding of verse 2 is as follows: Although I live in this world, I do not belong to it and must not conform to its ways. I need to transform my way of life according to the new knowledge in my mind, which is the understanding of Your will for me. Then, I can prove to myself and the world that my new way of life is good, pleasing, and perfect according to Your will.

Dear Father, my understanding of verse 3 is as follows: As a child of God, I cannot be conceited and consider myself more worthy of respect than others. I must follow the example of Christ’s meekness and humility. Those who are not meek and humble cannot love others as they love themselves. I must know my true value, which is given by You, so that I will not feel inferior to the world. I must acknowledge that everything I have and can do is by Your grace, so that I will not be proud. I am content with what You have given me, knowing that everyone is different, so I will not envy others.

Dear Father, I understand verses 4 to 8 as follows: Every person of God is a member of the same body, which is the Church, also known as the body of Christ. Every person of God has a different task to contribute to the building of the Church. Every person of God supports one another to accomplish the common purpose that Christ has set for the Church, which is to care for each other, build faith in each other, and preach the Gospel together. I understand that the Holy Spirit has given each person various gifts to build themselves up and build the Church together. I understand that each person must use their gifts by faith to serve one another in the Church. There are various forms of service, such as providing material support, teaching, sharing the Word of God, advising, and encouraging, as well as serving in governance and discipline within the Church. However, all of this must be done in love, compassion, respect, and obedience to each other.

Dear Father, we can only do this when we genuinely offer our bodies as living and holy sacrifices to You. Similar to ancient Israel, where they offered a lamb as a burnt offering to God twice a day, we too should offer our bodies as living and holy sacrifices to You each day, both in the morning and evening. Although the Holy Spirit only advised and encouraged us, without commanding us to offer our bodies, the decision is ours.

Dear Father, I am delighted to offer my body to You every day. I pray that You will accept my body and use it according to Your will. Please use me to build Your Church with the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given me. Thank You.

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
04/05/2023