Paul packed so much into the first two verses of this chapter that I couldn’t fit any more into my thinking.

Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.

² Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.

Romans 12:1-2, TPT

This information chart is simple–2 verses, 2 columns–that both answer a very important question: What does it look like to be a living sacrifice to God?

In My Ordinary Life. What are your life patterns. Are they different than they would be if you were not a God-follower?

In My Life in Community. How do I treat others–all others?

So many questions come out of these 2 verses in my mind, and I’m sure you can add to the list. What do you hear from God?

• Am I supposed to totally erase myself in order to be a living sacrifice?
• If this in an inner transformation, does it need to be visible to others?
• I try so hard to be a good person, to do the right thing, to be a role model, but it’s unending and exhausting.

I thought it might be interesting to view yourself as a light for today’s picture from Romans 1-2. What kind of light are you? Flashlight? Headlight? Laser? Street light? Search light? Reading light? Flickering candle? A bonfire?

I invite you to going me again tomorrow for my take on Romans 12: 1-2. Feel free to share with me in the comments or send me an email.