“I'll Take it From Here!”

In Romans 12 we find this passage:

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2, NLT)

Paul begins by asking us to give our bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice, going to far as to say that “this is truly the way to worship him.”

I’m not sure what kind of shape your body is in, but mine is hardly sacrifice worthy. It’s not in real good shape, either from a physical point of view or a spiritual/emotional point of view.

But, it’s all I have. I don’t have anything else to give Him.

Perhaps this is the point, He simply wants us as we are, with all our blemishes and hang-ups. He’s simply waiting for us to show up and say it may not be all that, but you can have it!

Giving ourselves to Him is what worship is really all about.

And then He tells us what comes next. Don’t look to the world for directions, but “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

He takes you just as you are and then, if you will let Him, transforms you into a new person by changing you from the inside out.

We find this process described in Ezekiel 36, where God said:

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols.

He takes the mess you have made out of your life and cleans it up.

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

He then takes out your old stubborn heart, the one that got you into the mess to begin with and gives you a new heart, one that is in tune with Him.

And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27, NLT)

And then He puts the Holy Spirit into your life to guide you in the direction you need to go to keep from messing up your heart again.

He’s got you covered from beginning to end!

It all begins by giving yourself to God, just like you are with your blemishes, weaknesses, and sinfulness.

And then He says: "I'll take it from here!"