Body of Evidence
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1 NASB
Spiritual service – What images come to mind when you read these two words? Do you get a pang of guilt because you passed on joining the choir? Do you think about the Shabbat Bible study group? Or the finance committee? Are your images restricted to volunteering for “church” jobs? If any of these jumped into your mind, you need to look a little deeper.
You just can’t get this without both words. These two words cover a lot of ground and there is some debate about what they mean. The first word (logikos) contains some thought of “reasonable” (do you see the word logic in it?) but the word was also used to describe spiritual thanksgiving. The second word (letreia) can mean service but it is also used for worship. So, we end up with a very complex idea. It involves logical thought. But it has spiritual overtones. It applies to service, but it is service that is connected to worship.
Logical, spiritual, service, worship. Remember that Paul is talking about your body – the flesh and blood, you in the world, moving around, living being. Paul’s great thought is that what you do with your body should be directly connected to sacrifice. In order for us to see this connection, Paul points toward the logic behind it – God rescued you. God owns your life. You are not your own master. Logic says, “God delivered me. I should sacrifice for Him.” Then there is the spiritual connection. This act of sacrifice is a spiritual decision. It affects my body but it is motivated by spiritual desires to show Him my gratitude. That means it is spiritual service, done out of thanksgiving. It is not service as employment. It is service as commitment. And that makes it worship. Worship is giving honor and thanks to God, demonstrating gratitude because we recognize His worthiness.
Here’s the punch line. Whatever you do with your body should be the logical result of God’s grace, shown in your response of thanksgiving and gratitude. You can make this sacrifice anywhere, anytime and any place. It’s not about some religious organization or assembly. It’s about life! It’s about your life becoming the obvious dedication to a commitment to God. Is that the way you live and move? Is that how you treat your body? Is that what you do when the lights are out? Whoever said that faith leaves logic behind never read Paul. In a culture obsessed with physical appearance, you and I are given a method for redeeming God’s delight in the physical. Live, act, move, do—be the kind of body that honors Him. Show this world that God cares about what we do, how we look, what we choose here and now. That is tikkun olam, redeeming the world.
Today: Be reasonable! God gave you life so that you could offer it back to Him in a constant state of worship. How does your body reflect that spiritual service?
Topical Index: body, service, worship, Romans 12:1, logikos, letreia
Back to gratitude again. That’s where it needs to stay for me. I was thinking yesterday that ingratitude is sin because it assumes that something other than God is the source of the good in my life. I was thinking about all the years that it seemed almost nothing was ‘going my way’, but if it had been, and I was not recognizing the Source and being thankful – mainly because I was suffering from the sin of thinking it was all up to me, coupled with the sin of self pity – I would have just been handed yet more ways to sin.
But because I now know what it is like to have everything crash and burn on a continual basis, and what it is like to feel like I am completely blocked and unloved, now every minute that things are ok, and I am free to appreciate life, and especially when anything at all works out, I KNOW it ain’t me! I also know that Someone is looking out for me, and I know that I have been freed and handed another opportunity to acknowledge my true Source. Saying “thank you” all day long is one way – perhaps the best way – to experience the joy I need to be strong.
Yeshua counted His money sitting at the table: He looked at the future joy of me when He submitted to that cross. We are likewise instructed to “count it all joy” when we encounter adversity, too, and even the world knows that the phenomenon of “delayed gratification” is the hallmark of maturity. Perhaps patience can be counted as gratitude, too?
I am sure that some men, husbands, hate to do the house work. I with pride was one of them. But now I with humility am not one of them.
Recently, when I wash the dishes the task I hate, my inner being tell me that Yeshua is watching. My mind turn around singing and focus that I do this thing for the Lord (even though I do it for me and to please my wife). The peace of Yeshua that beyond my understanding guards my heart and my mind. I now weekly sweeping and mopping the house floors with thanksgiving. My only intention here is to boast my redeemer and my rescuer and He lifted me. It is a blessing and I know for sure it is a worshiping. Hallelujah!
I started reading “Guardian Angel” for the third time and it is making sense at a whole new level. The idea of spiritual service is part of “Being Human” and as I understand deeper the concepts in “Guardian Angel” I am thankful that I see how to more fully live in a new paradigm. Thank you Skip as I am more peaceful and more relaxed than ever before as I learn to trust and just be in the presence of Our Heavenly Father.
I read an article by Dwight Pryor years ago that the highest form of worship for the Hebrew is to study YHWH’s word. This has always been my delight even though through the stresses and strains I’ve not Always been able to do so as much as I would like.
But I always get excited with great anticipation when Shabbat comes as I know my husband and I will spend many hours in his word. How privileged we are to be able to do this and it is our delight.
P.S. Tomorrow 17th March is our wedding anniversary – after broken lives and mashed up hopes over the years my husband of 4 years and I have never felt closer to HIM and we celebrate in the midst of all our concerns the blessings of love and ‘serving’ YHWH in our daily lives! Spring is in the air!
Wonderful! What a joy to know that another is echad with you!
Christine Hall,
Happy 4th to you and your husband!
May your journey continue to grow sweeter as the days and years go by.
Shalom Christine! Blessing you and your husband Joyful Anniversary!
Keeping Shabbat to study His Word together is one major step of togetherness! Congrats!
In Western culture, and everywhere we look, women are getting
more and more scantily dressed than ever, what with low and lower neck lines, more flesh revealing clothes, and the Eastern culture likewise are caught up in it.
And in ‘worship’ places/churches as well. I find that most shocking. Where is the modesty addressed in the Bible, I wonder? Where then is the testimony/witness of Who one worships, or Who one’s God is, if there is NO set-apartness in something so obviously unacceptable in His Presence, and disrespectful to others to the elderly or the youngsters/youths and, to the men of God?
“Show this world that God cares about what we do, how we look, what we choose here and now.” Let the physical reveal the spiritual state!
“Let the physical reveal the spiritual state!” Unfortunately, Ester, it always does.
Now Eph 4 till 6 come to mind…
How different would this discussion be if we changed the words (Reasonable) Spiritual Service – to Spiritualization as this seems to be the course Paul is steering his audiences to in all his letters.
To become likened unto Christ, To be born into Christ, To take up the cross of Christ. To be clothed with Christ.
Now how would it be similar to the teaching Jesus gave: Lest ye be born again through water and spirit, Lest be born of the spirit etc.
Laurita once stated that this word that takes on flesh (For me Reasonable service or which would be Christ as explained in all NT teachings) would be the Torah becoming our way of doing things accepting God’s personal teachings as the only truth.
Skip in Guardian Angle explained being created unto the image of God different from unto our image and likeness… Which makes me wonder…
When I listen to others and form a mindset based on their input is this being led by the spirit of God rendering a spiritual service?
Think of Job and how his friends tried to get him to accept their arguments as the truth. Then God itervening in chapter 33 turning Job’s world and insight competely upside down…
Why all this? Well a reasonable service cannot be based on the lessons from others nor can spiritualisation be based on the doctrine of others and how they understand God’s will. Skip makes a valid point throughout his discussions the past three weeks – we need to get into a personal relationship with God to be able to serve him, until then we are but seekers trying to find out why has God not yet intervened in my life as the scripture promises He does when He calls and directs…
Do not get me wrong the essence is Acts 2 to stay in the teachings of the Aposte and in the breaking of the bread until tasked when God calls – which will then be a reasonable or spiritual service for then it is not how I understand, think or believe but how God directs.
Can anyone please help me understand when God is directing me
or
When I am but building on the foundation of Apostle and Prophet which seems to be a lot of this going around world wild…
The difference is that a reasonable spiritual service is not about singing, reading psalms, teaching Torah etc these are attempts to keep those gathered focussed on God’s intent as Skip is guiding us to be. For me helping us understand that we need to become holy for He is holy…
When is God directing me? Good question. I am suspicious that to everyone this is going to be a somewhat personal and unique answer, because we all have differing perceptions, and we all bring ourselves to the equation in a different way, but the best way I have been finding is to try to keep myself in a place where I can examine my motivations. WHY am I wanting to make that choice? If it looks like the yetzer hara’s inclinations, then I have to sift again, and ask for a better reason to move. I may not know what His reasons look like, but I sure do know what mine look like! My reasons are going to provide power that comes from serving self, and that power is always going to cost me just a little more of my real capital than I am going to be getting out of the deal. His reasons are going to come packaged with His motive power and the blessing of the result is going to extend out far beyond my own interests.
I am going to be blessed WHEN the blessing goes beyond the end of my nose, which is something the yetzer hara is never going to appreciate or understand. When I can see my yetzer hara confounded, I perhaps have the best indication of all that it is not me, because that is always going to be a humbling place. Humility frees me. Pride will always limit me. My natural inclination is always going to put me first (which is survival mode), which is a skewed perception of reality. Humility simply puts everything back where it really belongs, which puts my little planet somewhere out at the edge of the galaxy, and heaven at the center. When I see the address of self out there – where I have learned it belongs – in relation to the choice at hand, then it is probably safe to move.
Two thoughts come to mind.
FIRST God asks His people why did they depart from Him the Living Fountain and create our own bowls that keep no water.
Jesus answers the samarithan woman when she accepts and drinks of His water it shall spring in her as a fountain that flows into eternal life…
SECOND God invites us to seek Him while He is still near.
Jesus warns us that we must not believe we have salvation we must continue striving towards it.
Here Jesus supplies the answer “He who eats of My flesh and Drinks of My blood” has communion with Him and He shall raise these in the last day.
This tells me that it may not be the calling that is crucial but rather what we do when we do things…
Drink of His blood?
Eat of His flesh?
Any suggestions.