Unashamed Reading Plan
Check out all the previous Unashamed readings here.
Unashamed Reading Plan | Week 12 | Day 1
Prayer
Take a moment to pray and ask God for clear self reflection. Ask Him to show you what He has for you in this upcoming devotion time, and for there to be clarity in your time with Him.
Bible Reading: Romans 12:1
Read these verses three times slowly.
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.
Reflection & Questions
By Preston Kulesha
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘worship’? If you come from a Christian background, you might think of the time that we gather together as believers in church on a Thursday or Sunday, and get to sing out praises to the one who we proclaim as our Lord!
For many, that is their favorite part of church on the weekends, and for good reason. Singing together is a beautiful offering that we have to a God who needs nothing from us, yet deserves everything from us.
But is that the only way that we can worship the God of the universe? Certainly not! Paul tells us in our verse today that a ‘true and proper’ form of worship actually comes from how we live our lives. It comes from submitting that my body and my life is not my own, but a sacrifice for God and His purposes.
Offering our bodies as a ‘living sacrifice’ means living a life that cares more about pursuing God than it does our own desires. It means caring less of what others think of us, and more of what God does. Some examples could be:
- Treating others with love at work, instead of seeing them as competition.
- Encouraging and training others on your team to succeed, even if they’re starting ahead of you.
- Sharing the good news of Jesus to someone, even though they’ve been cruel to you in the past.
When we see ourselves as a sacrifice to God, we can worship Him through every single action, conversation, and decision in our life! So walk faithfully towards God, and live a life filled with worship, not just waiting to sing songs during church service.
- What is one situation you wish you handled differently last week? How could you have made it a moment of worship to God?
- How can you adjust something this week to reflect how Paul is encouraging us to live our lives this week?
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Bible Reading: Romans 12:1
Read these verses three times slowly.
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.
Reflection & Questions
What do you think of when you think of the word, “worship?” Is it that time on Thursday night or Sunday when you go to church and sing out the fun songs that talk about Jesus? That’s a great way to worship, for sure! It is a way to really praise God for being awesome.
But that’s not the only way we can praise God. Paul tells us in our verse today that we can praise God in the way that we live too. The words we say, the actions we take, the life we live – those are all ways that we can show God that we love Him and want to live for him.
Some examples could be:
Being kind to others at school, even when it’s difficult to do so.
Encouraging a friend or classmate who might be struggling in school.
Choosing to share the good news of Jesus and inviting someone to church, even if they haven’t always been very nice to you.
- What is something you can do this week to show praise to God using your words or actions?
Pray
Ask God to help you to look for ways each day to praise Him through your words and your actions.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
