Video #15 - Oh Mercy Me

In Romans 12:1 the Apostle Paul writes, “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.”

I want to challenge you to think about God’s amazingly wonderful unconditional mercy.  “Mercy” is a word that refers to God’s compassion and pity upon us.  It has been said that His mercy is, “God NOT giving to us what we deserve.”  Think about that as you consider the sinful choices you made yesterday, or the day before that, or the day before that.  Mull over for a moment how many times you put King Me on the throne of your heart.  Do you have that firmly established in your mind?  Now reflect on what you truly deserve from a holy, righteous and just God.

You see, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5).  Peter said, “In (God’s) great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead” (1 Pet. 1:3).  We deserve death, not life (Rom. 3:23).  Yet God, in His mercy has declared that anyone who believes on His Son will not receive the death they deserve, but will have eternal life (1 Tim. 1:16)!

God’s mercy is great (2 Sam. 24:14; 1 Chron. 21:13), and He shows us His great mercy because of His great love (Neh. 13:22; Psa. 25:6; Eph. 2:4).  It is because of God’s mercy that He does not abandon us (Neh. 9:31), and that we are able to come boldly into His presence without fear (Psa. 5:7; Heb. 4:16).  God has promised His mercy to those who reject sinful thinking, turn to Him, and confess and renounce their sin (Prov. 28:13; Isa. 55:7).  In fact, God absolutely delights in showing us His mercy (Mic. 7:18).

So, “in view of God’s mercy” - because of the fact that God has not given to us what we do deserve - Paul urges us to offer our body to God.  His call here is for believers to dedicate every aspect of themselves, without reservation, to the Lord.  Not just today, not just while in a Sunday worship service, but every moment of every day.

Notice also that in view of God’s mercy we are to daily “offer” our bodies to God.  That word “offer” is a technical term used to describe the way a priest places an offering on the altar with the intention of surrendering or yielding it up to God.  Anytime something was placed on an altar, it was for the purpose of sacrifice – willingly putting it to death, giving ownership up.

As a Christian, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). God considers you a “priest,” and, as such, you are to offer – to daily surrender and yield – your body to Him.  This is your priestly act of worship.

So, the next time you are tempted to give in to lust and the pull of sexual impurity, remember God’s mercy and willingly make your body available for God to employ for His glory instead of for you to use for sexual pleasure.

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About Steve Etner
Steve Etner is a National Men’s Speaker, Author and Purity Coach (www.thepuritycoach.com). He has authored many books, including “Extreme Mind Makeover: How to Transform Sinful Habits into God-Pleasing Patterns of Life”; “The Pure Man’s Devotional Guide: A Biblical Toolbox for Purity”; and “Are You A Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” 

Steve’s conferences, seminars and retreats focus on what God has to say about the way we think and the impact it has on our behavior. By teaching men how to live in moral purity by equipping them with Biblical answers, Steve’s goal is for men to have a re-ignited passion for Jesus and learn how to prepare their minds to successfully overcome their temptations and thus live pure lives for Christ.