THURSDAY

Romans 12:1-8

As we thought about how Scripture anticipated the coming of the Messiah and the ministry of Jesus last Sabbath, and on through this week how we are invited to live in response to the good news proclaimed through Jesus’ life and ministry, the on-going question is, “So what does it look like to live that way?” In a sense, that is the question that all of the New Testament seeks to address. One of the places where Paul gives yet another description of what this looks like is in today’s passage. If you have time, continue to read on through the rest of the chapter as he develops what he means further. But even in these first 8 verses, he says quite a lot! Take a few moments to reflect on the passage and the questions that follow:

• What does it mean for us to offer ourselves as a “living” sacrifice as opposed to a “dying” one? What does it mean to know that what God wants from us is living, not dying? Consider that imagery.

• What is the new transformed mind that God invites us to embrace as we discover together what God’s will for us is?

• How does Paul describe, in practical terms, what this new life looks like once we have embraced it?

• To what extent have you embraced living rather than dying as your response to the good news that God has shared with us? What does real living look like?

• Take a few moments to respond to God in prayer about what you are hearing in today’s passage.