DO WHAT JESUS DID
THURSDAY, MAY 1
READING: ROMANS 12
IT ENDS WITH WORSHIP
On Monday we reflected on the reality that whenever we encounter Jesus, our natural response and posture is worship. And actually that’s pretty easy when the activity we’re engaging in is centered around Him. We know we can BE with Jesus in a worship service or in our daily rhythm of Scripture and prayer. We create intentional space to BECOME like Jesus when we serve at church or engage a discipleship community through groups. But the truth is we are all tempted to compartmentalize our life with GOD. Do we leave Jesus at home when we get out of our quiet time chairs? Do we unintentionally treat Jesus like He’s still in the worship center when we walk out the doors of our campus? Did we leave Him behind when we got back in our car after our discipleship group gathering?
Romans 12 challenges us to view our entire life as an act of Worship to Jesus. How? By making our bodies a ‘living sacrifice’. In other words, wherever we are, there Jesus is with us through His Spirit. And if He is always with us, then everything we do is an opportunity for worship. In fact, Paul calls this our ‘true’ worship in verse one: to be transformed by Him so that as we live our lives we do what He would do if He were in our place.
What does that look like? In Matthew 20:28 Jesus tells us that He ‘did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many’. Later, He gives us some really practical examples of what that kind of sacrificial living actually looks like in chapter 25. He even goes so far as to say that this is how He will know if we were truly His disciples:
‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me’...’Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:35-36 & 40)
Remember yesterday when we reflected on how we encountered Jesus both when we were the one serving and when we were the one being served? Here He says plainly He can be found in both. Any time we give sacrificially of our time, talents or treasures we identify with the resurrected life of Jesus.
Romans 12 challenges us to view our entire life as an act of Worship to Jesus. How? By making our bodies a ‘living sacrifice’. In other words, wherever we are, there Jesus is with us through His Spirit. And if He is always with us, then everything we do is an opportunity for worship. In fact, Paul calls this our ‘true’ worship in verse one: to be transformed by Him so that as we live our lives we do what He would do if He were in our place.
What does that look like? In Matthew 20:28 Jesus tells us that He ‘did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many’. Later, He gives us some really practical examples of what that kind of sacrificial living actually looks like in chapter 25. He even goes so far as to say that this is how He will know if we were truly His disciples:
‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me’...’Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:35-36 & 40)
Remember yesterday when we reflected on how we encountered Jesus both when we were the one serving and when we were the one being served? Here He says plainly He can be found in both. Any time we give sacrificially of our time, talents or treasures we identify with the resurrected life of Jesus.
JOURNALING QUESTIONS
- What would it look like for your family, work colleagues, classmates, neighbors…your enemy…to be on the other side of Jesus?
- Who do you long to see experience a life-changing relationship with Jesus? How could you bring His loving presence into that relationship?
- In what way is GOD inviting you to give sacrificially of your time?
- In what way is GOD inviting you to give sacrificially of your talents?
- In what way is GOD inviting you to give sacrificially of your treasure (resources)?
NEXT STEPS
- If you would like to learn more about how you could join our church family in giving our time, talents and treasures to bring GOD’s Kingdom locally and globally, check out Compassion Outreach.