Paul declares further what is needed to be a “living sacrifice.” It requires being different from the world from which we have been redeemed.

The world has many habits, practices, sins, customs, lusts, and more that the believer in Christ should avoid. The life God wants us to live is found in His Word.

The secret to being “transformed” so that acceptable service can be performed is through the “renewing of the mind.” This takes place by spending much time in the Word and prayer, and fellowshipping with other godly believers. It is the Holy Spirit Who works through the Bible.

The blessing of such a transformation is that as it takes place, the believer will see that His will for you is truly “good, and acceptable, and perfect.” In other words – it is the best life that you could possibly have, and it is one without regrets.

An abundance of rewards also await those who are His servants. They will be given out after the Rapture – which could take place any day now.

Will you live for yourself, or seek to be the “transformed” “living sacrifice” God can use for His glory?

Paul first encourages believers to be a “living sacrifice” to God, and then he tells them why. He calls it a “reasonable service.”

Many reasons could be given as to why it is “reasonable.” They certainly would start with the fact that we do not deserve it; and secondly, God did not have to put His Son on a Cross for us.

God could have let all of us simply go to Hell and pay the price we deserve for our sins. After all, we are told that “the wages of sin is death” (Ro. 6:23).

In love, God sent His Son to redeem us by dying on the Cross for us. Then, He made salvation as a gift through faith (Eph. 2:8,9) and did not make us earn it. In fact, He rejects all attempts to make us pay for it – or even part of it. Once faith is put in Christ for salvation, all our sins are forgiven and erased.

We should also consider being a “living sacrifice” because He put us into His family and made us joint-heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ (“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ,” Ro. 8:17).

God’s redemption of us also includes eternal life with Him, the removal of sin from our natures when we see Him in glory, and a perfect and sinless world in the future. What more could He have done to make His gift of salvation wonderful?

Considering all these things and more – it certainly is reasonable! He will not make you make that decision, but it should also be mentioned that He adds “abundant life” and blessing to those who make that choice!

Yesterday, I talked about how and why meditation is so necessary to receiving God’s blessing. It is also essential to the growth of the Christian. Psalm 1:3 talks about the extent of the blessing and growth to be received through meditation when it is performed daily.

The illustration of that blessing and growth is likened to a tree planted near a river. A tree in this case would have a constant supply of water, which would result in a lot of fruit.

The tree also would not lose its leaves prematurely because of the constant abundance of water. It does not need to fear drying up.

Daily meditation on God’s Word is promised to result in success in whatever you do. This success is conditioned by the doing of those things the Word says – as you learn of them.

It does not mean that God will bless all your plans – as some people suggest. Instead, it means that as you meditate daily on the Word and apply those Biblical principles, your plans will be molded to God’s plans. Only when they conform to His plans will you see success.

Do you want that kind of success? Daily meditation is the key. The joy of living a life following His plans is that there are no regrets.

There are many ideas out there about how to be blessed. Some of the strongest blessings are related to the Word of God. 

The above verse is a clear example of this principle. The Bible repeatedly lets it be known that God’s Book is essential to getting His blessing. Despite this, few people claiming to be Christians actually read it every day.

As the verse says, reading is not enough. The believer must also meditate on its teachings. It means to think about what you read and get out of it all you can – like a cow chewing its cud seeking to get all the sweetness out of it.

You also want to pray about what you read, confess sins when the text reveals them, and asking God to help you fulfill the responsibilities and duties mentioned.

Lastly, notice the word “delight.” When your heart is right toward God and His Book, you will delight in it and meditation on it will not be a chore. There are so many marvelous things in God’s Book that it will delight you if you let it. Your time spent in the Word and prayer will become one of your greatest joys.

Once again, in this chapter it is evident that David loved the Lord. He did not only give praise to God on Sunday, but he was determined to praise Him “continually.”

He was glad to brag on what the Lord had done for him. He called it boasting in the Lord and what the Lord did for him. He recognized that God gave him many blessings – even in his frequent trials.

This king noticed that others that loved God – he calls them “the humble” in these verses – are made glad when they hear someone praise God. He did not just think about himself when he worshipped God, he wanted to be a blessing to others – which led him to understand the need of going to the assembling of the saints (church).

Those who “worship God on the lake” or in the woods never see this blessing. It is one reason why God made the local church. The church is compared to being a Body where there are no extra parts. Each part is intended to help the body to function as it should. When parts are missing or not functioning properly, there is some degree of health lacking.

Certainly, every believer in Christ has much to be thankful for. First, there is salvation. Secondly, there is His Holy Spirit which God has put in us to guide, teach, and empower us to do His will. Then there is His daily provision – and so much more.

Are you helping the Body to be encouraged in the Lord by attending your church regularly?

King Jehoshaphat could have lived any way he wanted and done whatever he wanted. Instead, he chose to follow the Lord. The result was that the Lord “was with” him and blessed him.

These words do not mean that God was present – as He is present everywhere. It means that it was evident that God was doing things in his life and works. It was not mere “luck,” but it could only be explained by saying that “God was with him.”

The presence of God – because He is pleased with that person – is evident to others. Unfortunately, there are many professing believers who do not have such blessing in their lives – and no one thinks of God when they are around. The phrase “the Lord was with” a certain person is used 18 times in the Bible – and it always meant a noticeable difference.

One place where it is especially noticeable is in Acts 11:21, where the Bible says: “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.” This phrase is only used two times in the New Testament; the other place is speaking of Christ, in Luke 1:66.

Two conditions are given in the text verses above, which speaks of Jehoshaphat. First, he walked like David – a man in love with God and His Word. Second, he did what God wanted him to do – “walked in his commandments” – he obeyed the Word.

If you want the blessing of having God with you so that God uses you in His service, obey the Word as completely as possible. Remember that God promises: “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8).