I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12: 1-2 NKJV

To present means to offer. In the Old Testament, animals were offered as sacrifice. These animals would be examined to ensure they meet certain criteria and standard. They are of a certain age, healthy, without blemishes and fit, before they are qualified as sacrifice unto God.

Jesus’s death, that is, His sacrifice on the cross has sanctified and cleansed us. That is, our recreated spirit and has made us fit before the Father.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I Thessalonians 5:23

You can see that God wants our whole being, that is, spirit, soul (mind, will and emotion) and body to be sanctified. We are to serve God not just with our spirit but also with our body. It must therefore be offered or presented as holy and acceptable/fitting before God.

The way to present our bodies as acceptable sacrifice is to constantly renew our minds with the word of God. It is the word of God that renews our minds and cleanses our bodies.  As we read, meditate upon and obey God’s Word, we experience transformation from within which now reflects outwardly. Our decisions, responses to issues of life, attitude towards people and situations now stems from a new mindset, a renewed mind.

It is not how long you have been saved, how many departments in church you function in or number of activities you’re involved in in church that determines your growth as a believer. It is how much transformation by the word is taking place in your life. It’s time for you to GROW by the Word of God.

Recommended text for further reading:

Ephesians 5: 26-27; John 15: 1- 8; Galatians 5: 16-27.