Good day dear friends.
Let us be in prayer for those who started school yesterday, those
who may start today, or the ones who start tomorrow. May God bless
our nation with a wonderful school year, free from violence and
hatred.
We continue our study of purity. Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Let us read Romans 12:1 and see what that says about
purity. Remember that a sacrifice involved a "clean" or "pure"
animal to be offered up to God. If we are to be God's sacrifice,
how then should we live?
Here is that text:
12:1 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.
To be a sacrifice is to be free from blemish. To be free from
blemish is to be pure. Paul in this letter to his readers of the
church in Rome is appealing for them, with God's help, to "present
(their) bodies as a living sacrifice." For Paul, the Jewish rites
and rituals did not have the same meaning once he encountered
Christ, but rather than tossing them out as worthless, he began to
see these are meaningful in Christ. Circumcision was important if
it was the cirucmcision of the heart. And here the offering of a
sacrifice was important if it was a "living sacrifice." The idea of
someone or something dying had been taken care of once and for all
in Christ Jesus. But as we worship God, Paul says, we should be the
living sacrifice. Let our lives be those who reflect and live out
the presence of God's mercy.
Purity is not a desired end; purity is a daily journey with Christ.
To reflect His purity begins and ends spiritually. We enter
Christ's presence through prayer and we stay there as we live our
life in prayer each moment of each day. And purity is something
that we can reflect if we trust God and allow God to bless us in
that.
PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus. As I start my day in prayer and worship,
let me be truly a living sacrifice. Let me be Your lamb today, pure
and holy, without blemish. I can be that only by Your mercy, so
forgive me my sins, remove my transgressions, and cleanse me of my
iniquity. Let others be blessed by my worship of You throughout
this day. I pray in Your name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
