After my Mama died, I found this painting she had done. My sweet friend Ashley framed it, but originally it was just on the back of a manila folder. My Mama probably painted it while she was on the phone...
She didn't have a lot of energy. In fact, she felt bad always. Her body was a prisoner to pain and sickness, but her heart was always free...thinking of how she could love on other people. So, the phone is where she landed most of the time. Mind you, this was before ear buds. She would just prop that phone in between her shoulder and her ear and doodle while she listened and encouraged.
Many people came to know more of the goodness of God...while she was just doodling. She felt horrible, but by His generous presence with her, this picture is an indication of the state of her heart: Joyful, patient, and faithful.
I've been thinking about this Scripture a lot lately. What is Paul saying? In the first 11 chapters he has explained the grace of God through salvation in Jesus Christ. Chapter 12 is just explaining the necessary response to said grace which is a life of sacrifice. In reference to this passage Gotquestions.org says,
"This life of sacrifice will involve our mind, will, and emotions. We must continually acknowledge that our hope, our future in eternity with God, is worth celebrating."
It's hard to put the words sacrifice and celebrate together, but the fact is they coincide. Sometimes we have to sacrifice our self-pity or desire to quit and lay down. Sometimes -- no all the time -- we must redirect our selfishness, fear, exhaustion, pride, laziness, and so on by preaching the living and active Word of God into ourselves.
This is my "New Year's Resolution." I'm excited to start a new year -- June 2024 - June 2025 -- living in the celebration of sacrifice. Who knows...I might start doodling a little more.
Do yourself a favor today...read this passage. I love CSB, ESV, KJV, AMP, but I love sitting with the Message version for a little change. It is a devotional reading. So, have your word-for-word translation available to help you think about what is being said in the original word. Take time to listen to the song below... Consider the wonder of God through Paul's words and ask the Holy Spirit how you can make the Triune God your full vision as you live in the celebration of sacrifice.
Place Your Life Before God
Romans 12, The Message Version
1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
4-6 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
6-8 If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
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