Dedicating The Day....

Eternity Online: John Edmiston (Editor)



(Rom 12:1-2 NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. {2} And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
This morning I sat down knowing I had a day ahead that would take great wisdom and sensitivity. I was doing the goals and annual budget for a Christian organisation. People would be affected. In line with this verse I dedicated the day - and my physical body - to God. It went something like this.....

Lord take my brain and give it wisdom, take my hands and make them useful Lord, give me real servant leadership in my heart today, guard my lips so that they only speak encouraging words and are not cruel or sarcastic, Lord I give them to You...and so on right through all my body "bit by bit". It only took ten or so minutes but what a wonderful day it was! I asked Christ to be my emotions and my will and my thoughts. I thought through possible difficult situations and asked Him to give me the poise and wisdom to handle them. This simple exercise is simply giving my body - His temple - over to Him to use and enjoy. If you pray for me pray that I remember to do this more often. This particular prayer of consecration seems to be a key to Christian living for me. Try it - and tell me the results.

What is the biblical basis? Romans 12:1-2 says that when we consecrate our bodies to God then that is our "reasonable service". Its the least that God expects. Also as we dedicate our bodies to Christ's service we find ourselves increasingly unable to think worldly thoughts - our lives move out of the world's conforming mold. As our mind is renewed (and we pursue this renewal) we find ourselves knowing God's will much more clearly in our lives. Paul is exhorting us to dedicate BOTH our bodies and our minds to God and this is certainly part of my morning prayer. Its not just arms, feet and tongue but mind, emotions and will given over as well. Its a bit of a puzzle with me why I have to consciously and deliberately consecrate myself in the morning - surely I have been consecrated to God since my conversion? Perhaps its like a realigning of my will which gets wrapped up in self-will and this world so easily. Like a magnet that gradually loses its magnetism so my will loses its consecration to Christ and needs to be recharged and remagnetised.

Prayer:
Lord may we live lives of holy consecration of both mind and body so that we may please You in all things and You may enjoy life in the temples you indwell - our bodies. Amen.

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John Edmiston ([email protected])
Editor - Eternity Online Magazine http://www.eternity-magazine.org/
Cults, exegesis, bible teaching, Christian life and leadership.
For the thinking Christian!