Have you ever had to beg someone that you love to do something
either for you, or to not do something they were going to do? This
requires a lot of effort, time and the right words.
I have found in my life that when it gets to the point of begging, for something or someone, I have crossed over the threshold of asking to almost
demanding. The need has gone from simple to immediate, or even for
someone’s safety.
There are so many degrees of begging. We can beg someone for
their forgiveness. We can beg them to listen to us in their time of
need. We can beg them to trust us, when they are indecisive and lack
wisdom, or experience. Begging can take on so many forms but I think the
message of urgency and care is always the same.
In Romans 12:1 Paul is literally begging us, his words, not mine,
to make a decision. I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg
of you in view of (all) the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of
your bodies (presenting all your members and faculties) as a living sacrifice,
holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable
(rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
Paul is begging us to make a decision, and to make the right
one. He is not asking us to make this decision lightly, he is asking us
to make it with our intelligence. But he is also saying that rationally,
this decision shouldn’t be a hard one to make. He is begging us to make
this decision with all that we are, and to come to it quickly, I think.
He is saying, I think, bring all of you. Bring the broken,
the worn out, the overworked, and the out of shape, the unhappy, and the
underpaid and overwhelmed portions of yourselves, and bring them to
God. Dedicate all of you, every part of you that you have, even the
parts that you think God doesn’t want. The parts that you think you
cleverly hide from Him, which is impossible by the way, but bring that too.
God wants all of it. He wants you to dedicate all of
yourself to Him and serve Him. Worship Him. Make a decision that
you are not going to change in five minutes. Make a decision that you can
be proud of for the rest of your life. One that you will be happy to
share with all of those around you. Make that decision.
Don’t make this decision and then still remain the same person
before you made the decision. With all the same intent and sins.
No, make this decision and surrender yourselves, and all that you are to God in
worship and service, and allow Him to change you.
Paul is appealing, a nicer way to say begging, for us to see what
he sees. He is nicely trying to get us to open our eyes to the life that
we are missing, when we are either halfheartedly serving God, or not serving Him
at all.
To many times we think that we are going to do this “God” thing,
in our way, and Paul is saying, nope, that’s not how He is asking you to come
to Him. He is asking you to come to Him completely. He is asking
you to give Him all that you have, good, bad, ugly and beautiful, give it to
Him. Surrender it to Him.
This is the time you pull out the mirror and you look at yourself
in the face and search for how good of a job you’ve been doing at running your
own life. How have you been doing at juggling taking care of you?
Do you think you really are controlling what is happening with you? Do
you think that you are the master of your own universe, or reality? I am
sorry to tell you that you are not.
You never were and you never will be.
God is, has, and always will be, in control of what is happening to
you and around you, so with that knowledge in hand, now is the time to just
surrender. You have given it a good try at keeping it all together,
and have done a good job at convincing yourself it was you, but it wasn’t, so
now that the truth has been revealed, and we all know that you are not the
miracle worker you wanted us to think you are, stop lying to yourself.
Allow God to take over. Hand in your resignation papers and
subscribe to being an employee of God’s instead of trying to make God your
employee.
Paul is begging us in Romans 12:1 to give all that we have to God
for a reason. Paul knows more than we know. He is doing what we do,
when we have insight, wisdom or experience and want to shield the people we
love and care about from making bad decisions. Paul, is asking you,
begging you, to trust him on this one, and more importantly trust God, and give
Him all of you. He won’t run from you and He won’t ever turn His back on
you. He will take all of you, all of you, even the ugly stuff, and make
it beautiful in His sight! How’s that for begging!!
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