Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
 
Is it not amazing how much can be communicated through a mere expression? Our smartphones are full of little expressions we call emojis. Words aren’t necessary as the facial expression of an emoji speaks volumes to what message is being communicated. We have heard the saying “Actions speak louder than words.” And let’s be honest, what we do is not always as important as how we do it.
 
I can remember a “few” occasions getting into some trouble with my parents growing up by grudgingly carrying out their wishes. I might hear something like, “Hey son, you need to change your attitude.” They were teaching me that obedience was incomplete unless I did it with the right spirit or the right attitude. We can all think of a time when we did something, but we did not want to do it, and our spirit or our body language was sending a different message. Our hands and feet are heading in the correct direction but they forgot to invite our attitude on the trip.
 
God has asked us to present our bodies in a Christ-honoring way. We are to exemplify a life of sacrifice and holiness, a life that God is worthy of. I am thankful to be part of a church where we have many people involved in ministry that love to serve. Their body and their spirit are fully engaged and they serve the Lord with gladness.
 
As a church and as an individual, may we be mindful of not only our service but the spirit in which we carry with us as we do that service. We can all think of days where we can come to church and our ministry and we’re tired, we’re sick, we have struggles, we have hardships, and we really don’t feel like serving the Lord or helping people. It is in those days we must ask God for His grace and strength to help our body and spirit be what it needs to be so we can present a life that is acceptable to Him.