Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God… The key of this chapter is found in the preceding verse. The law of the universe, the great march of all things is from God, through God, to God. But all things about us are wrought upon by a great compulsion. From reason, not from blind necessity, we yield ourselves to the sweep of this great law. Yet there is a compulsion even for us — nobler, as our service is nobler, viz., love: "by the mercies of God." I. THE ENTREATY: "I beseech you." But we object to be besought to do a reasonable thing. Show us that a thing is reasonable, and at once and of course we do it. Think, then, that for our highest good we have to be besought! For God alone we play not the part of reasonable men. How amazing that we should have to be urged when God invites us to give ourselves to Him that He may give Himself to us! "That ye may prove what is that good... will of God." The ear is deaf to the voice of God, calling us to Paradise again. This is the entreaty of a man — 1. Who was living this life of blessedness. Of, through, and to God, was the rhythmic flow of his whole being. And then, in all the consciousness of this blessed life, he thinks of the half-hearted, of those who come far enough out of the far country to lose the husks of the swine, but not far enough to get the bread of the father's house, who, like the fabled coffin of Mahomet, lie suspended between earth add heaven, unclaimed by either, and yet fretting for each. To these the apostle cries, "I beseech you," etc. 2. Who had lingered at the Cross until its great love possessed him. He had seen something of God's unspeakable gift. With that mercy kindling his soul he asks, What acknowledgment can we make? Only ourselves. The power that prompts and sustains this consecration is only here — the love of God in Jesus. There let us seek it. II. THE CONSECRATION TO WHICH WE ARE URGED. Turn again to the great law of all things and trace its application. 1. Nothing in God's world is any good until it is given up to that which is above it. What is the worth of the land, however fruitful, and whatever title we may have to it, unless we can do something with it? The soil must minister to us, or it is merely waste land. The seed again and all its products — what should we give for them if we could do nothing with them? And what use are cattle and sheep, except as they clothe and feed us? And what are we for? Here lies our worth and our good, in giving ourselves "a living sacrifice" to Him, of, through, and to whom are all things. 2. Every thing by sacrifice not lost, but turned into higher life. Very beautiful is this law of transformation. Listen to the parable of the earth. "Here am I," it mutters, "so far away from Him who made me, without any beauty of form, or richness of colour, or sweetness of smell! How can I ever be turned into worth and beauty?" And now there comes the seed, and whispers, "Earth, wilt thou give me thy strength?" "No, indeed," replies the earth, "it is all I have got, and I will keep it for myself." "Then," saith the seed, "thou shalt be only earth for ever. But if thou wilt give me thy strength thou shalt be lifted up and be turned into worth and beauty." So the earth yields, and the seed takes hold of it. It rises with wondrous stem; it drinks in sunshine and rain and air, mingling them with the earth's strength and changing all to branch, leaf, flower, and fruit. The parable repeats itself in the case of the seed. It has a kind of life, but all unconscious. It cannot see, or hear, or move. But it yields itself to the animal, and then its strength is turned into part of the seeing eye, the hearing ear, the subtle nerve, the beating heart. And the animal gives itself in turn to serve man, and is exalted to a thousand higher purposes. And man gives himself up to God, and is transformed — into what? Ah! who can tell of that wondrous transformation when it is completed? Once when I was a schoolboy going home for the holidays, I embarked at Bristol with just money enough to pay my fare, and thought in my innocence that that included meals. By and by came the steward with his bill. "I've got no money," said I. "What is your name and address?" I told him. "I should like to shake hands with you," he said instantly, with a smile. Then came the explanation — how that some years before some little kindness had been shown by my father to his widowed mother." I never thought the chance would come for me to repay it," said he, pleasantly; "but I am glad it has." I told my father what had happened. "Ah," said he, "see how a bit of kindness lives! Now he has passed it on to you. Remember, if ever you meet anybody that needs a friendly hand, you must pass it on to them." Years went by, and I had forgotten it all, until one day I was at a railway station, and saw a little lad crying. "What is the matter, my lad?" I asked. "If you please, sir, I haven't money enough to pay my fare. I have all I want but a few pence; and I tell the clerk if he will trust me I will be sure to pay him again." Instantly flashed the forgotten story of long ago. Here, then, was my chance of passing it on. I gave him the sum he needed, and told the little fellow the story of the steward's kindness to me. "Now, to-day," I said, "I pass it on to you; and remember, if you meet with any one that needs a kindly hand, you must pass it on to them." My story is the illustration of the law of God's great kindness that runs through all things. Here lies the earth, and it says: "I have got in me some strength. It belongs to God." Then it whispers to the seed, "I will pass it on to you." Then the seed passes it on to the animal, and the animal to man, who completes the circle. Think how all things minister to him. If he serves not God, he hinders all things, and diverts them. III. THE RESULT OF THIS CONSECRATION. "Be not conformed to this world." How great a drop is this! We were dreaming of heaven, and now we have a string of moral commonplaces. Be not wise in your own conceits. Be given to hospitality. Be not slothful in business. Live peaceably with all men. But that this should seem a coming down makes the lesson all the more needful. Do we not too often think that our way upward is first to be right with ourselves, and then to be right with the world, and then somewhere far off we may some day come to be right with God? No, the order is reversed. First right with God, then, and then only, right with all things. First "present your bodies a living sacrifice" unto God; then the world, and all belonging to it, is put in its right place. How vain are all other attempts at curing conformity to the world! There never was a time when there were so many man-made, church-made Christians. Who does not know the receipt? Tie up the hands and say, "You must not do that." Tie up his feet and say, "You mustn't go to such and such places — at least, when you are at home." Cut him off from certain things at which society is shocked, and there is your Christian: a creature with his heart hungering for the world as fiercely as ever. To "present our bodies a living sacrifice" to the opinions of religious society is no cure for conformity to the world. This is the only way — a glad, whole-hearted giving up of ourselves to God. Then comes the being "transformed by the renewing" of the "mind." Transformed, not from without, but from within; exactly as the earth is transformed when it gives itself up to the seed. "That ye may prove," etc. The renewed mind has new faculties of discernment — new eyes to see the will of God, and a new heart to do it, and to be it. We cannot know God's will until we are given up to it. Once as I meditated on these words I heard the children pass my study door. "I sha'n't," rang out a little voice. "This won't do," said I, gravely; "you must stand in the corner until you come to a better mind." "Think now," said I to myself, "if she should say, 'Well, I suppose it is my father's will, and I must submit to it,' should I not answer, 'Nay, it is dead against your father's will? Your father's will is that you should be in the garden playing with the others, but you have gone against your father's will, and now your father's will has gone against you.'" And as I turned it over, I thought I saw where all the crosses come from. When God's will goes one way and our will goes another, there is the cross. When God's will and mine are one the cross is lost. Already the crown is ours — for what makes heaven? Not white robes, not golden streets, not harps and anthems, but this only — the eternal harmony of wills; and we can have that down here. And what is hell? The eternal collision of wills. We may have that here, and this it is that makes the madness of many a life. Conclusion: And now here is a thing to be done. It shall help us nothing to know all this, to believe it all, and yet to stop short of doing it. Will you do it? (Mark Guy Pearse.) Parallel Verses KJV: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. |
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