Daily Devotion 11/04/18

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Do you know what humans are very good at doing? Asking, “What must I do?” We love to focus on what we have to do, what actions we need to take, and how we can be better. What we sometimes struggle with is realizing the “why” behind the what. Why do we want to do something? What motivates us to want to live good lives? Paul tells us right away in the first line, “In view of God’s mercy.” Mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we deserve. As we look at our lives, it’s not hard to see that we haven’t lived up to God’s expectations. To be honest, most of us don’t live up to the expectations we have for ourselves let alone God’s! What we deserve is his punishment, but that’s not what he gives us! Instead, he sent his Son, Jesus, to take responsibility for our actions. He got the punishment; we go free. He gets blamed; we get declared innocent. Amazing! This is the mercy that God has had on us. It is God’s mercy that motivates us to live good lives. His mercy is the “why” behind the “what.” It’s his mercy that motivates me to want to live a life of thanks for him. “Your mercies are new every morning.” That’s true today as well. Let’s thank God by living for him.

Father in heaven, thank you for your mercies that you pour out on me every day. Thank you for not giving me what I deserve. Instead, you have given me your love and grace. Let that be my motivation this week for living a life for you. Amen.