Reading your Bible for Today July 1

July 1: Romans 12:1-3

KJV Key Verse: Romans 12:2 
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Devotion:
Don't you just love advertisements which offer great things but only deliver a tiny portion of what they offer. Thankfully we don't get to see too many of them because the law stands in and stops people from false advertising. But that does not stop people from doing it – you only have to go on holiday to be pestered by people who have a promise of a free holiday and it's only when you get there you find out you have to buy something else before you get anything free!

This is probably one of the main reasons why people are not willing to accept Christ for what He is – because He has promised us eternal life for free so we immediately think we have to do something before we get the free gift. Well yes, we do have to do something before we get eternal life – simply believe on Him. But because our world is corrupt, we always look for some sinister reason – we have been programmed to look for faults and catches in almost everything in life!

Just like getting a free gift in life, when we get our free spiritual gift, we normally have some work to do. If someone gives you a free goldfish, you have to learn how to keep a goldfish and what to feed it and how to clean up after it etc. When we gain our free gift from Christ, we have to start living up to being a Christian. When Paul wrote this letter to the Romans, he plainly told them they have to present themselves as a living sacrifice to God. Whilst we may cringe at those type of words now, we need not.

Presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice does not mean we have to lie down and die. Christ Jesus has already given His life and has sealed our fate by doing that. We no longer have to pay with our lives. But by the same token, He has paid for us by giving His life. Our reasonable service must therefore be to give that life back to Him. This means not being taken in by everything we see around us – not being taken in by the temptations which surround us all the time. Give control of your life back to God and you will never be disappointed!

Points to Ponder:
Would you know how to take care of a greyhound if it were given to you?

Do you know how God wants you to live your life?