Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. For some, this is a hard thing to consider. We like to think that our bodies are our own, right? Well, tie this scripture with what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 20: Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

If I profess to be a believer, these are important things to think about as I go about my life. My body is not my own. I have a responsibility to use it in such a way that would be acceptable to God. My body is on loan from its creator. I should use it for His purposes, not mine. I should maintain it so that He can use it to its fullest potential. I should be involved with things that further the kingdom of God, not sinful activities that bring shame on the name of God.

And in suggesting this approach, Paul is appealing to us, or as it says in other translations, he is beseeching us, or urging us. He’s not ordering us, but urging us to do this as a living sacrifice. A sacrifice done out of love for God, because He deserves it, and because it shows that God’s will is good and acceptable and perfect.

So many in the culture around us think that God is an angry old man in Heaven waiting to catch us doing something wrong so that He can punish us. But if we live in such a way that others see that God is anything but that, we will be helping to usher others into a relationship with a loving Father, and pleasing Him at the same time.

What better motivation could there be to live such a life?