praying effectively: Go to Church (Rom.12:1-2)

(Romans 12:1-2)  Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 

Reminder:  "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will.  When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!

It is God's will:

- that we are not conformed by the world (12:2)

- that we physically go to church, sacrificing our time and energies, giving our first-fruits (which includes our tithes and offerings), to present our bodies a living and holy sacrifice to God, acceptable to Him, to spiritually serve and worship Him (12:1)

- that we are to be holy, always striving to be obedient to God's will, which is only possible through faith in Christ Jesus (12:1)

- that we are able to prove what the will of God is, which is good, acceptable and perfect, and that we not only can explain it, but that we are living out the will of God, which is a demonstration of our faith, and a testimony to God (12:2)

- that we are transformed by the renewing of our mind (12:2)

- that we give of ourselves, allowing God to use us for serving Him (12:1)

- that we are always worshiping God (12:1)

Today's prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, holy Lamb of God, thank You for Your work on the cross, so that the sacrificial system of the past is no longer necessary, because Your perfect sacrifice was for all sin of all time, past, present and future, so that all we have to do is believe and put our faith in You.

Let us not take Your grace and our freedom from sin for granted.  Help us desire to physically go to church to worship You!  Guide the spiritual leaders to teach Your will accurately, so that the power of Your word will renew our minds and change our behavior.

As You gave Yourself sacrificially for us, may we desire to give ourselves fully to You, to not only praise, worship and glorify You on Sunday mornings, but that this would be our constant - "BEING" a Christian, not just trying to act like one when it suits us.  Guide us to being children of God who emulate the holy traits of our loving, heavenly Father.  Amen.