The Apostle Paul writing a letter to the Roman followers began his section on what to do after acknowledging Jesus’s resurrection and God’s grace began with “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.”
The people would have had a little cognitive dissonance with that phrase. Sacrifice meant killing and burning something as a ritual acknowledging the power of God.
Yesterday I started with Jesus’s admonition quoting from Hosea, “I (God) desire mercy not sacrifices.”
Paul brings these together suggesting that the way we live points to our acknowledgement of the power of God.
Are we living only for ourselves? Or are we living as a blessing to others?
Would someone watching us discern that we are disciples of Jesus? Or would they think we are selfish, immoral, spiteful, angry people?
The best of the contemplatives were also great doers of the Word. It is wise to follow their example.
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