Romans 12:1-2 (New Living Translation, NLT)

A Living Sacrifice to God

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)

Place Your Life Before God

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Explanation:

I did something unusual with our passage today. I started with a translation of Romans 12:1-2 from the New Living Translation, and then repeated it with a paraphrase from The Message because I thought it explained so well how we offer ourselves to God.

From the translation, I want to focus on how important it is to learn the will of God for ourselves. We come to know the will of God by allowing Him to transform our mind. He does that with a very effective method…He changes the way we think!

Have you ever been totally convinced of something, only to be exposed to new information and then change your mind? I think for any reasonably insightful person, it is a regular occurrence. I’ve actually met people in a certain environment and had an opinion about their personality, only to spend time with them later in another setting and come to a totally different opinion! When I received additional information, I changed my mind.

Jesus is so gracious to keep changing the way we think, in order to transform us from the inside out. There is an old saying: “A person convinced against their will is of their own opinion still.” That is human nature. Spiritual nature is different because it is fed by TRUTH!

That is why Jesus allows circumstances, situations, information, relationships, enlightenment, and direction from His Word to impact us and change the way we think. Change from the mind and the heart genuinely convinces us, and therefore transforms us. I personally love when something Jesus has spoken to me gets layers of affirmation through what a friend says, a podcast conveys, an article reads, or a certain passage of scripture that seems to be everywhere. When I hear His voice over and over about something, and I am finally convinced, the battle is won. It is so freeing to finally be acting and thinking from God’s perspective, and feeling that transformation I’ve longed for.

Application:

1. The word “transformed” in the Greek means metamorphosis…change of form or change of character. The perfect example is the metamorphosis of the caterpillar to the chrysalis to the butterfly. The metamorphosis of the believer is no less dramatic. As the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth, from layer to layer He transforms us into His likeness by starting with our thoughts and changing them. There is so much hope! Ask God for transformed thinking, and feel the chains breaking!

2. Reflect on ways you think differently as a result of something you have learned from God. Do you act differently based on your changed thinking? Celebrate those victories and thank God for them.

3. Why do you think our mind has to change before our behavior changes?

Prayer Prompt:

God, I want to be transformed and whole. I have so much baggage and brokenness in my life. I need Your Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth, and to set my mind free from ingrained patterns and default methods of reasoning. As David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.” I submit my mind to that process, and ask for Your power to change the way I think. Amen.

Devo Plus:

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6, NLT)

Psalm 51

2 Chronicles 35:1-6 (ESV)

Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month. He appointed the priests to their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. You need not carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. Prepare yourselves according to your fathers' houses by your divisions, as prescribed in the writing of David king of Israel and the document of Solomon his son. And stand in the Holy Place according to the groupings of the fathers' houses of your brothers the lay people, and according to the division of the Levites by fathers' household. And slaughter the Passover lamb, and consecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of the Lord by Moses.”

Explanation:

In order for something to become a tradition, spiritual or otherwise, it must first be established as important in someone’s mind, then made concrete as something that will be continued over a period of time. Every national tradition, every family tradition, was once found important enough to celebrate or honor again and again. At the start of each new tradition, a new pathway is laid that allows the tradition to be continued as long as deemed necessary. These traditions provide some sort of value, and therefore, an individual strives to uphold them.

In King Josiah’s time, there were many traditions that had been established by those who ruled before him. Although they were thought to provide value to the nations, King Josiah found they were actually pulling God’s people away from the most important tradition they could have ever established. When King Josiah had this realization and began to destroy those traditions, specifically those dealing with idolatry, he had to start establishing new traditions that helped accomplish the ultimate purpose of glorifying the one true God. In the same way that a newly married couple begins to establish their own family traditions after they get married, people who have destroyed their idols and have dedicated their lives to living for God must create new traditions and ways of living. In our reading today, we see that King Josiah not only tore down the idols and false gods, he rerouted the nations to now dedicate their traditions to worshiping God.

Application:

1. Why is it not simply enough to just tear down the idols? Why must new traditions be established?

2. What would have happened if they did not start to establish new traditions that pointed to worshiping God?

3. How does today’s reading apply to the steps you must take in order to fully glorify God through your life?

Prayer Prompt:

Heavenly Father, You are the one true God. I have laid down my idols, but now I want to establish new traditions in my life that bring glory to You. I need Your wisdom to know what those steps are, and Your courage to walk them out.

Devo Plus:

Re-read today’s scripture, and for every step that King Josiah took, write out a similar step you can take in your life.

2 Chronicles 34:26-27 (NIV)

Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.

Explanation:

Judah’s young king, Josiah, sought to do what was right in Gods eyes, “not turning to the right or to the left.” He “cleaned house” for Judah, wiping out everything pertaining to idols, and even repairing God’s temple. During the temple work, the workers found the Book of the Law, and after reading it, Josiah was moved to tears by Judah’s idolatry and disobedience. He mourned and repented and sought God. And because of his heart attitude against sin and idolatry, because his sin against God broke his heart, God promised to hear Josiah and to spare him from trouble.

God loves a repentant heart, one that turns away from sin and embraces the Father’s life. May all of our hearts, like Josiah’s, be moved immediately when we recognize that we have lifted anything above God in our lives. May we turn to repentance quickly and with brokenness, so that He can lift us up with clean hearts.

Application:

1. Do you try to live daily according to your knowledge of God and His ways? If not, tell God. Repent and ask for His help in keeping Him in the forefront of your mind.

2. When you come across a truth of God that is new to you, do you repent and turn away from your current ways, going toward the path God is showing you? If not, what keeps you from growing in the truth? Confess these things to God and ask for His help.

Prayer Prompt:

Heavenly Father, we would be lost without You. Your patient grace is beautiful and Your crazy mercy is healing to us. We thank You for loving a repentant heart. Thank You for rewarding our repentance with Your leading and blessing. Father, we ask You to search our hearts, to know our thoughts, and lead us in the way everlasting. We love You, and ask these things in Jesus’s capable name, amen.

Devo Plus:

First John 1:9 shows us the promise of God’s forgiveness for a repentant heart.

Luke 3:8 shows us that if we repent, it will show in our lives.

Psalm 139:23-24

1 Corinthians 10:1-14 (ESV)

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

Explanation:

In this passage, Paul is sending a warning to the people of Corinth. He is reminding them of the story of the Israelites and their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. God did His part. He provided Israel with everything they needed…and more. He parted the sea so the people could walk across dry land, and then closed it on the Egyptian army, leading them to safety. While Israel wandered in the desert, God gave them a cloud during the day and a light at night to lead their path. He provided them with food and water.

But somehow, they still chose to do things their way, and not to trust God. They gave in to their desires and sexual immorality. They began to worship idols instead of honoring the one true God. God did so much for them, yet they still chose to do life their own way.

Let Paul’s letter to the people of Corinth be a warning for us as well. We will all be tempted…tempted to worship other “idols,” tempted to give in to our desires or trust our own abilities. But God tells us to be on guard, to be watchful, and to learn from those who have gone before us. We must stand against the temptation, and we must place God back in His rightful position.

Application:

1. What are some things that have become, or have the potential to become, idols in your life?

2. What can we learn from this passage and the story of God’s people?

3. What do you need to do to withstand the temptations in your life?

4. What needs to change in order to make God the one true God in your life?

Prayer Prompt:

God, will You help us? There are so many things begging for our attention. There are so many messages we hear throughout our day. We want Your voice to be louder. We want to honor You, and not allow anything else in our lives to come before You. May we put You first in all things. May we not trust in ourselves, but in You. Help us to lay aside our idols, and to place You as the top priority and the true God of our lives. We want to surrender it all to You. In Your mighty name we pray, amen.

Devo Plus:

Check out Exodus 13-17 to learn more about the story of Israel referenced in this passage.

2 Chronicles 34:3-8 (ESV)

For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, he broke down the altars and beat the Asherim and the images into powder and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.

Explanation:

God takes the idols in our lives very seriously. Throughout scripture, He addresses how His people are to handle any “gods” that we place before Him. Looking closely at today’s reading, there was certainly a seriousness to how King Josiah handled the idolatry he witnessed around him. Read through the verses again, and look at the steps he took, not just to remove the idols, but to destroy them completely. First, he chopped and cut them down, broke them into pieces, made them into dust, and then finally scattered the ashes elsewhere. By scattering the ashes in this manner, and also by removing anyone who was a source for the idolatry, he was communicating to everyone that idolatry had no place with God’s people.

The ferociousness with which Josiah handled these things is very admirable. He gives us an example to look to when considering the seriousness of how we should handle any idols we have set up. As you take time this week to seek God in this area, don’t ignore His conviction. Follow the direction He provides. Go and “repair the house,” your life, and dedicate it to the Lord your God.

Application:

1. Why do you think Josiah responded the way he did toward the idolatry in Judah and Jerusalem?

2. What does the seriousness of Josiah’s response tell you about the danger of idolatry in our lives?

3. What steps can you take today to address any idols in your life?

Prayer Prompt:

God, I come today seeking You. Reveal to me the idols in my life. I realize that You are deserving of all my praise, for You are the only true God. Forgive me for making other things in my life

Idols. To be honest, right from the start, I’m going to tell you that I’ve brought many things to God over the years that were in competition with Him. “Priorities” sneak in, and before I know it, God is on the back burner…again. I’m so thankful He grants us grace when we fall into destructive behavior.

At first thought, you may not think you have idols that come before God, but as you read this, you may get the same reality check I’ve had. Do you have a Smart Phone? I know most folks do now; it’s our tool for organizing, calling, messaging, and gaming. It’s also a trap. It whittles away time we could (and often should) be spending with God, and it becomes an idol.

I’m airing this ugly place in my life so you can learn from me. The rhythm goes a little like this: Wake up, reach for phone. Check texts, email from work, and personal email. Surf social media, play a game, roll out of bed. Plan to spend time with God, but remember that you forgot to take the trash to the curb for pickup today. Come back inside, remember you still haven’t done your devotions, but also remember there’s a load of laundry you washed last night and forgot to put in the dryer. Unload the dishwasher, get something out of the freezer to thaw for dinner. Someone calls from work. Your workday is now in full swing until dinner time. Make dinner, clean up, load the dishwasher, sit down in front of the TV. Watch TV until you can’t hold your eyes open. Go to bed.

My “priorities” are my idol. I’ve been more purposed in 2020 to make God the priority every morning. I still reach for my phone before I roll out of bed, but unless there is an urgent text (like one of my kids or parents are in crisis), I immediately go to the church app and then to another devo app and spend a few minutes with God. There’s another Bible study I like to do later in the day, but if my work blows up and I can’t get to it (it’s a lot of reading), I’ve at least spent time on these other two devotions and I’m purposing to let God start my day.

Maybe your idol is your job. Maybe it’s a person, or food, or something else. Just know that God wants to be first. He’s not going to compete for your attention. You know those times when God feels far away? Yeah, me too. For me, it’s usually because my priorities moved ahead of God, and He was just waiting on me to realize that I’m the one who moved.

I pray that you will search your heart for idols, and ask God to reveal anything you need to set aside so He can be the priority. His love and mercy are here for your asking. Let Him manage your priorities, and change your perspective!

Psalm 115:1-8 (The Message)

1-2 Not for our sake, God, no, not for our sake,

but for your name’s sake, show your glory.

Do it on account of your merciful love,

do it on account of your faithful ways.

Do it so none of the nations can say,

“Where now, oh where is their God?”

3-8 Our God is in heaven

doing whatever he wants to do.

Their gods are metal and wood,

handmade in a basement shop:

Carved mouths that can’t talk,

painted eyes that can’t see,

Tin ears that can’t hear,

molded noses that can’t smell,

Hands that can’t grasp, feet that can’t walk or run,

throats that never utter a sound.

Those who make them have become just like them,

have become just like the gods they trust.

Explanation:

This psalm contrasts idolatry with worship of the true God. In the first verses, we see the sanctity of God’s name. When God first revealed Himself to Moses and started in motion the plan to set His people free, Pharaoh had to be dealt with. Pharaoh’s response was “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice and let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2 ESV) By the time God was through with Pharaoh, he knew who God was (Exodus 12:31). Israel’s redemption was forever associated with the name of the Lord. So is ours. “Not unto us O Lord, but unto Thy name give glory.” (Psalm 115:1 KJV)

God is under no obligation to explain to anyone why or what He does. He is above the taunts and tirades of men. How silly they must seem to a God who pursues His own unwavering purposes, in spite of the noisy unbelief of man, and without the slightest obligation to respond.

Verses 4-8 give us God’s estimate of idolatry, and the folly of paying homage to graven images. An idol can never be God. Idols needs someone to make them, and they wear out, break, and disintegrate.

But the Lord GOD of Israel is God! He is completely divine, and beside Him there is no other god.

Application:

1. The psalmist asked that God’s name, not the nations, be glorified. We sometimes ask God to glorify His name with ours. For instance, we might pray God will help us on the job so our work will be noticed, or we want applause. There is nothing wrong with doing a great job and being noticed. The problem comes when we are concerned so much about looking good, we don’t care what happens to God’s name in the process. Before you pray, ask yourself, “Who will get the credit if God answers my prayer?”

2. With regard to false idols, you may not have a Hindu statue or likeness of Buddha in your home, but what acquisition of something physical feels like you will finally be happy if you get it? It’s slick, but many times we are convinced “if only.” It is not “if only”; it is “He only” who can fill our hearts.

3. A god of our own choosing, whether it is a relationship, career, real estate, or big toys of the car and truck variety, deceives us. We cannot expect those gods to empower our lives.

4. My missionary friends frequently comment on the joy those they serve find in Jesus, and they are genuinely happy, even though life is very stark for them. One friend remarked how sad it is to come to the U.S. for visits because the surplus of stuff is overwhelming, and it is disheartening to see the slavery the accumulation of it causes. It is a freeing place to live when our eyes and hearts are toward Jesus, and He fills our longings. Then our possessions are just added blessing, instead of our power source. Reflect on what you long for today that only Jesus can fill.

Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, in this season of stillness, as I am socially isolated, draw me close. As busyness ceases, may my ears be tuned to Your voice, my eyes be fixed on You, and my mind filled with Your Word. Free me from wanting more things, and replace that wanting with Your power to overcome and bring glory to Your name with my life. May my actions, purpose, and habits align with showing glory to Your name!

Devo Plus:

The LORD declares to witnesses that He alone is God.

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel,

And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:

I am the First and I am the Last;

Besides Me there is no God.

And who can proclaim as I do?

Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,

Since I appointed the ancient people.

And the things that are coming and shall come,

Let them show these to them.

Do not fear, nor be afraid;

Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?

You are My witnesses.

Is there a God besides Me?

Indeed there is no other Rock;

I know not one.”

(Isaiah 44:6-8 NKJV)

Habakkuk 2:18-20 (ESV)

“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?

Or an image that teaches lies?

For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;

he makes idols that cannot speak.

Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’

Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’

Can it give guidance?

It is covered with gold and silver;

there is no breath in it.”

The Lord is in his holy temple;

let all the earth be silent before him.

Explanation:

Habakkuk was a prophet of Israel. The prophets would often speak against the idol worship of other nations and of Israel itself. For the prophet, idol worship is a futile practice. Idols are lifeless and powerless, unable to move on behalf of those who look to them. They simply don’t have the ability to do what the idol seeker is after. For Habakkuk, the only One who has the real power in the world is the LORD, Yahweh, Israel’s God.

The irony in this passage is that Habakkuk is speaking to the remnants of Israel after they were defeated by the Babylonians who worshipped these idols. But Habakkuk wants Babylon, and more specifically, Israel, to know, that it was not Babylon’s idols that won the day. The LORD’s hand delivered Israel into Babylon’s hand.

Habakkuk’s message is clear…seek the LORD. He alone has the power, the ability, and the right to be worshipped and trusted.

Application:

1. What is one thing that stands out to you in today’s passage?

2. Have your circumstances ever led you to doubt that God was really in control?

3. What is one thing you go to for comfort and to relieve the pain you feel in tough times (i.e., food, drugs, sex, shopping, entertainment)?

4. What would it look like to trust God in that moment, instead of those other things?

Prayer Prompt:

God and Father, please help us to look to You and nothing else for our needs. Help us to trust that You hold our lives in Your hands. You are merciful, faithful, and kind, and we need You. Please let us wait for You and trust You in every season. Forgive us when we look to idols to be our provision and protection. Show us where we are still guilty of this, and help us to change. We love You, and want to trust You and You alone.

Devo Plus:

Read 2 Kings 24:10-17 for the story of Babylon defeating Judah.

Exodus 20:1-6 (NASB)

Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

Explanation:

This passage is the introduction to the Ten Commandments given to Moses. These words defined the keys to a life that God called Israel to live. They signify a covenant relationship between God and His people. Before giving the commandments, though, God reminded Israel that He delivered them from Egypt, and had called them to be His own. By obeying these commandments, the people can enjoy the life God has purposed for them.

God is looking for an exclusive relationship. He cannot and will not tolerate worship of any other gods. He won’t compete with them and He won’t allow them to be brought into His presence. He is very clear that our faith must only be placed in Him. God made it clear the worship of any other god violated that covenant. God calls Himself a jealous God, as He is the Lord of all creation and worthy of being the source of our praise. His creation can only function properly when we give God the honor and worship He deserves.

It’s important to understand that this scripture still applies to us today. Anything that takes priority over God in our lives is an idol. Our idols may not be carved images of some other human we worship, but they can certainly be in the shape of televisions, phones, and computers. They can be things we are addicted to, or simply a famous person we’ve placed our hope in above God. God wants to be in an exclusive relationship with us, just like He did with the Israelites.

Application:

1. Are there things in your life that have become idols?

2. Evaluate where you invest your time. Are there things in your life that have potential to become an idol? How can you prioritize differently?

Prayer Prompt:

Ask God to search your heart for any idols that you may not be able to identify. Ask for help with setting your priorities, and being able to see “risk areas” in your life.

Devo Plus:

Read the remainder of Exodus 20 to learn more about solidifying our covenant relationship with God.

Jeremiah 6:16 (ESV)

Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Explanation:

God made a covenant with Abraham that was meant to secure God’s blessings on the nation of Israel. This “ancient path” was meant to direct Israel toward righteousness and peace, regardless of the struggles that would come their way. This was the “good way.” It was the way of faithfulness and obedience that promised ultimate life and rest in God’s love.

Jeremiah was preaching to the Israelites, urging them to follow the “good way” and secure themselves in those tried and tested methods of their forefathers, but they chose to disobey. They wanted to go their own way, rebelling against God and His standards. Instead of taking the pathway that led to life, they would ultimately choose to follow the path that led to death.

We may read this scripture and think, “Wow, how dumb it was for them just to turn away from the promise of life and rest.” If we are honest with ourselves, we are no different than them. We have a Bible full of examples that occurred both at the time of Jeremiah and years later. In it, we read stories of disobedience and its consequence of death; but greater yet, we also read stories of obedience and the promise of eternal life. We know there are ancient paths that have been tried and tested, and the only thing we have to do is place our trust in Him and obey. Still, in our stubborn, selfish ways, we choose to follow our own path because we want to be in control.

God has never changed. His promises in the Bible, those that map our “ancient path, the “good way” to walk in, never change. He asks for us to trust in Him, follow Him, and He will take care of our needs. His way is always better and BIGGER than our own.

Application:

1. Are you following your own path, trying to control things that belong to God?

2. Why do you think our tendency is not always to follow the “ancient path,” but to choose our own instead?

Prayer Prompt:

Ask God to search your heart for things you are holding on to and trying to control. Ask God to help you choose the “ancient path,” so you can fully obey His way for you.

Devo Plus:

Jeremiah 18:12, Romans 4:1-6, John 5:46-47