July 26, 2006 – WHAT IS OUR REASONABLE SERVICE?
Did you ever ask yourself, “What is my reasonable service to the Lord?” I have confessed my sins and been forgiven, Christ dwells within me, and I am born of his Spirit. If I am born again, I have the power to reflect the thinking of Christ, His way of life, and His works. As a member of God’s family I now must bear His image. God did not purchase our salvation for us to remain as we were, but to bring us to what He destined for us to become. 2Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and Godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Only when we are totally dedicated and submitted to Christ, can His life be totally reflected in us.
God does not leave the definition of “reasonable service” up to conjecture. The apostle Paul very plainly spells it out for us in the Book of Romans. Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, Holy and pleasing to God – this is your Spiritual act of worship. We are to die to the old man so Christ can operate fully through us. Christ gives us power to live a ‘new life” through Him. We have new desires and goals. We live to please Him who has called us from death to life. When we have besetting sins, it requires confession and asking God to cleanse us and give us a new nature. Paul not only tells us that we must offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice unto God, but that our minds must also be “renewed.” God will never have your whole person until your mind is also transformed.
The greatest truth that we can employ in our lives after we are spiritually reborn, is the truth that we are “transformed through the renewing of our mind.” This step is critically important! Only if our mind is transformed can we conform to God’s good and perfect will. Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
One of the most powerful submissions to Christ is the submitting of our mind for transformation. We bring a lot of baggage from our old life such as, fear, phobias, resentments, unforgiveness, biases, and perverse thinking (turned away from what is right or willfully determined not to do what is expected). I believe every child of God has to offer up their mind unto Christ for his Spiritual infusion of purity and right thinking. Webster’s dictionary defines “mind” as: “the part of a conscious being that reasons, thinks, feels, wills, perceives, judges, etc.” You can see that our mind certainly determines our viewpoint, attitudes, actions, perceptions, and judgments. Many times I pray, “Lord let me see this matter from your viewpoint.” Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
Sometimes you see a precious child of God bound by the destructive thinking of their mind; it is similar to a train that always runs on the same track carrying poison and defeat. Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. I want to cry out and say to the world, “You can conquer those destructive thoughts of the mind the same way you rid yourself of sin, condemnation, and guilt—give it all to the transforming power of Christ.” When you see a sin trying to rear its ugly head in your life, you put it to death through confession and submission to the blood of Christ. We should immediately handle the negative influence of our thoughts in the same way—submit them to Christ and ask for renewal. My dear ones, it works!
I have learned through the victories over the flesh that my God is “all powerful!” The only reason we “have not” is because “we ask not!” Our minds can be our greatest enemy if we do not give it to Christ’s transforming power. It is through our mind and Spirit that we grasp the faith to overcome, subdue kingdoms, stop the mouth of lions, quench the violence of fire, escape the edge of the sword, are made strong out of weakness, become valiant in battle, etc. Revelation 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Christ-centered functions of the mind produce an “overcoming testimony” and a “life-giving” witness.
Inspiration from the Spirit of God is transforming oil for our minds. We can ask for several gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, discernment, clarity on God’s will for our future; and, He also gives us a desire to follow through. In fact, He supplies everything we have need of to live a life worthy of Him. How great is our God and worthy of all praise! 1John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Our reasonable service is to give our entire being to Christ for His glory. 1Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
We are not saved by our works, but after we are saved our works testify loudly as to whether we are living to glorify ourselves or God. If we glorify Christ in all we do and say, then we are being led of the Spirit and the world knows we live through Him. James 2:20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
