“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1
Setting at an intersection readying to merge onto the 3 lane highway, traffic was heavy. Seeing my break in the traffic, I prepared to go. It helped that the car in the lane I wanted to merge was turning right giving me even MORE time, but no matter, all 3 lanes were clear. Merging onto the highway I heard a long HONK! Looking in my rear-view mirror I was… befuddled.
The guy had 3 lanes to himself and was no way in any danger. I guess he just didn’t like me being in front of him in his lane. The honk was simply a message conveying that point. Further down the road, I had to turn left and cross 3 lanes of traffic coming the other way. I waited, and when it was clear, I went. HONK!!!! Again… no danger. But I guess the guy half a football field away thought he’d let me know he was there. I waved!
I know what it is to honk! I do it myself. In fact, last week, setting at an intersection, the person in front of us had a WHOLE football field of room to turn. When she didn’t, my WIFE reached over from the passenger seat and hit the horn! All I could say was, “way to go honey!” Her response was, “well… she irritated me!” If you know my wife, you know that kind of reaction is RARE!
The car horn was designed to WARN. It was never meant to be used as a greeting, a call sign, a ‘hurry it up’ or the sound of irritation. But humans are creative! We make up stuff for other stuff in an attempt to display how we feel or to get what we want. And it can get confusing!
This verse today confuses me. I had to write it out to dissect it before I could really even BEGIN to grasp its concept. “therefore, since YOU didn’t get what YOU deserve (death for your sin), YOU offer your WHOLE LIVING SELF as a SACRIFICE, THAT is how you can worship and thank Him FOR life!
I didn’t get what I deserved, so I now am called to work at giving HIM WHAT HE DOES?
HONK HONK!!!!! Now I think I need to go and think about that one!
