Once you have done something a certain way it tends to shape how you do that thing going forward. Once you have encountered or experienced certain things they can change you from that point onward.

Think about television for example. Would it make sense after all the advancements in technology over the years to go back to a black and white, fuzzy, grainy television? No way. Once you have used a nice Smartphone you cannot go back to a flip phone. Once you have driven a car, you are not going to choose a horse and buggy to get around. Once you have learned how to do something faster and more efficient you are not going to go back to the older or slower way. That is a part of life. We live in a world that wants what is better. It just makes sense.

And this is what we see in the book of Romans.

Paul is all about showing us the better way – the way of the gospel – the way of Jesus.

And that is why we are studying Romans 12 this fall, because we want to know Jesus and grow to maturity in Him. Once we encounter Him, it changes us going forward. Once we encounter the grace and mercy of the gospel, we must live to worship God.

Romans 12:1 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Throughout the Book of Romans we see these “mercies of God” laid out before us. We see God’s love, God’s grace, God’s righteousness, and the gift of faith.

Romans 12 is all about living in response to those “mercies of God”, the reality that Jesus has brought us back into a right relationship with Him through His ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.

The only response that makes sense in light of knowing what God has done for us is that we would then give our very lives to Him in worship. That we would serve Him and follow Him out of gratitude for the grace He has shown us. That is what worship is truly about. That is what it means to live, to have new life in Christ, to be a living sacrifice.

Yes, we sing praise to Him on Sundays – that is good and right and we should never stop doing that. Yes, we can sing to Him in the car and even in the shower if we want to. But, it is more than singing. It is how we treat one another. It is how we deal with our friends and family. It is how we deal with those we would not even call our friends. It is how we do our work. It is how we spend our time. It is how we spend our money. It is how we go about our business. It is about all of life – living to worship God. Again, it is the only way that makes sense.