What does it mean to give yourself fully to God? 1) It’s an act of worship. ‘Offer your bodies…this is your true and proper worship’ (v. 1 NIV). Worship isn’t just attending a church service, singing praises and saying prayers. ‘This people…honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me’ (Isaiah 29:13 NASB). It calls for surrendering your heart to God twenty-four hours of every day; whether you’re alone or in a crowd, at work, enjoying a hobby, spending time with family, at school, on a date, or just walking the dog. If your heart isn’t moving you, your behaviour will only be an act of reluctant compliance, rather than one of joyful commitment. Surrendering to God isn’t a part-time thing that’s done for our own benefit; it’s a full-time act of worship for God. 2) It’s a response to God’s generosity. ‘In view of God’s mercy…offer your bodies’ (Romans 12:1 NIV). God doesn’t say, ‘If you don’t surrender to Me, I‘ll punish you.’ There’s no threat. We don’t submit through clenched teeth because of fear; instead, it’s a response our hearts want to make in tribute to God’s mercy. Everything God asks is initiated by His giving to us first. Your repentance is a response to His love. Your giving is a response to His blessing. Your obedience is a response to His promises. God’s grace is never ‘a deal’, it’s the ‘free gift’ of His love to the undeserving (see Romans 5:18). So, as a rational response to His mercy, ‘offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.’ It’s your ‘true and proper worship’, and it will be ‘pleasing to God’ (Romans 12:1 NIV).
