We Aren't the First Ones to Face This...

Watch today’s installment on YouTube!

Our lesson for today comes from Romans the 12th chapter verses one through three, which are as follows.

I appeal to you, therefore brothers and sisters, 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 renewing of your minds so that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect for by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith God has assigned. This ends the reading of the word.

Just a few questions to think about today as you continue to navigate life and these times of well, every day seems to be something different and something new. And this time looks pretty much every part of our daily life has undergone some sort of transformation. Have we kept at the forefront of our decision making the truth that we are called to present our bodies and our lives as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God? Whether it's listening to the latest news, whether it's going out only when necessary to gather needed supplies or to tend to essential work business. Do we look at how we handle our bodies as spiritual worship? What needs to change in order for these words that Paul's given to the Romans to come to life within us so that when others see us, they see not us, but they see God through us.

The second thing that we see in this passage is that given there is so much out there concerning our current situation, how do we ensure that we are not being conformed to the world, but rather allowing God to transform us by the work of the Holy Spirit? Are we choosing to react to a global pandemic? Are we choosing to respond to the grace of God, given to us in Jesus Christ? And finally, in a time where we are called to stay at home, except when the matter is considered essential, do we allow ourselves to be humbled enough by God's grace and Christ to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought? Let us understand this. While this might be far from the first time in our lives we have seen these kinds of circumstances now before us, this is far from the first time that God's people had been through times of fear and uncertainty.

One of the reasons we have been given the gift of Paul's words to the Romans is precisely because of times like the present, where it is more central than ever for us to stay rooted and grounded in the mercies of God.