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Living sacrifice

Romans 12:1-2 is a familiar passage, one that I've memorized and recited in prayers on numerous occasions, but for some reason I had a hard time seeing how the two verses relate to one another (not just as separate entities). Yesterday I re-read the chapter in multiple translations, soughout desiringgod.org for Piper's insights, but still didn't come to a conclusion. I went snowboarding briefly in the afternoon and asked my friend on the lift chair for her thoughts. We didn't really come to a conclusion on the spot, but she apparently meditated on it last night, and sent me this email:


"In the OT, whenever sacrifices were made, they were burnt on the altar. They were literally burnt in fire. But you know what we do? we burn energy. As we move around, play sports, study, work, or even just by existing, we consume energy. By saying consuming energy, scientifically, it means that our body literally burns glucose (simple sugar) in mitochondria in our cells. No kidding. Burning in chemistry means carbon compound (sugar included) + oxygen, and that's what our body does when we consume energy. Even when we are not doing anything, like when ever sleeping, we still are burning energy.

By living in this world, just by existing here, I think we are being living sacrifices to this world. By conforming to this world, our lives are being burnt as sacrifice for the glory of this world, not of God. But the problem is, we live in this world, and it is IMPOSSIBLE for us not to conform to this world because it is inevitable that we burn our energy on this world. In the end this place is where we live.

Thus, we can't live our lives as living sacrifices presented to God with our own will only. It has to be done with God's help. So "let God transform you into a new person (verse 2 from NLT)." God has to transform us so our lives can be devoted to Him, because it is just inevitable for us to live according to the pattern of this world, burning our energy on worldly things, making ourselves willingly/unwillingly sacrifices given to this world. Once God makes us new, we learn to know how to live our lives on this earth, to glorify His name. Hence, once we are renewed by God, then we can finally be burnt as sacrifices to God, not to this world."

When I was reading her reflections this morning I couldn't help but walk with a HUGE grin on my face--my friend is a huge science nerd and God speaks to her and gives her revelations using scientific metaphors. I would have NEVER thought to explain being living sacrifices using glucose and mitochondria (that's the red loopy thing right?), but I was simply in awe as the Word of God came alive through this metaphor.


TYL for creating us SO uniquely and differently, where not a single person is a clone of another (which would honestly be a bore)--for giving us unique gifts, interests, and passions to faithfully administer your grace in its various forms. May You continue to renew our minds and change the way we think, so we may burn as living sacrifices for the name of Jesus.

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