Verse of the Day for July 25

Paul does not start with a demand. He starts with I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. Therefore points back over eleven chapters of grace. The asking only comes after all that giving.

What he asks for is specific: that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice. Bodies. Not only thoughts or good intentions. Hands, feet, eyes, the tongue, the hours of the day.

A living sacrifice is a strange idea. The old sacrifices were offered once and that was the end. A living one stays on the altar while it is still breathing, which means it can climb off. So the offering has to be made with an open hand, again and again, each time you notice it has closed.

Then the second verse: be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Paul does not say transform yourself. He says be transformed. An open hand is not a fist straining to change. It is a hand held out, letting God do the renewing.

Try it with your actual hands. Before work starts, open them on your lap, palms up, in the danfo or at your desk. Say, these are yours today. It will feel small. It is where Paul would have you begin.

Mercy comes first; offering yourself is the reply.

When you notice you have climbed off the altar, simply climb back on.