Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Romans 12:1

In his letter to the Romans the apostle Paul urges his readers by the mercy of God to present themselves as a living and holy sacrifice to God as an act of worship. If we live a life to the glory of God, we live an abundant life. The Lord Jesus Christ said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

We are encouraged by the text to surrender to the will of God. We are to sacrifice our desires, pleasures, and sinfulness and conform to the will of God. Our soul has been purchased by the Lord at a very high cost. It cost the Lord Jesus Christ his death on the cross to redeem us from the curse of the law.

This is why we are called to live a life of sacrifice and worship to God. Our lives are to reflect the sacrifice that Christ made on behalf of sinners. The life of Paul was one of service to God. He was a bondservant of Christ. Paul’s life was transformed by the gospel and his life displayed that change.

As Christians, our lives have also been transformed. We no longer live under the condemnation and curse of the law. We have been set free in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. We are no longer conformed to this world. We are conformed to the good and acceptable will of God. As a result, we live a life of abundance in Christ.