Parakaleo

"Therefore, I urge (parakaleo) you, brothers,
in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God—
this is your spiritual^a]"> act of worship.

Urge.
'Parakaleo'.
-To call to one's side
-To admonish, exhort
-To console, strengthen
-To comfort, teach, and encourage

Urging. Calling. Comforting. The words that Paul is writing here to the church at Corinth are just as applicable to our lives now as they were to the Corinthians then. Paul is encouraging us here (because of the great and abundant mercy of God) to present ourselves as a 'living sacrifice'.

The Corinthians no longer had to make animal sacrifices. The blood had been shed on the cross of Christ to cover all sins...past, present, and future. So what is Paul saying here?

Paul is saying, give it ALL. Sacrifice is no longer a ritualistic ceremony of bloodshed that must be done in order to bring forgiveness of sin. The living sacrifice mentioned here is to give over our lives in obedience to the Lord. It is an act of worship... of submission to the wisdom of the God that we serve.

...do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—
His good, pleasing and perfect will."
~Romans 12:1-2~

As Christians, this is our calling. 'Do not conform', 'be transformed', gain knowledge of Christ to 'test and approve what God's will is— His good, pleasing and perfect will'. We don't blend in with the world... and we shouldn't. We have been called to be non-conformists that will, through studying God's Word, be transformed by these God-breathed words:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness..."
~2 Timothy 3:16~

Lately, I have felt convicted about how I spend my time. You can tell a lot about ones priorities through taking a quick peek into their Day-Planner of Life. Is the day spent in prayer? Studying the word? Wow... imagine what 'training in righteousness' can take place through daily study of God's Word!

On the flip side, is the day spent mindlessly surfing the internet? Planting and harvesting crops on Farmville? Updating a twitter or status to fill in your peers in on your fickle mood? Hmm... I wonder if my status will really effect ones day, or if my attitude towards them will have more of an impact?

I am no Greek scholar, but I am developing a passion to learn more of 'the Greek' or 'the Hebrew' in order to get a fuller understanding of the Word of God. To my fullest knowledge and understanding of this word, I believe I have a sudden sense of God's parakaleo— His urging to come alongside Him, learn from His wisdom, and be empowered by His strength.

I am going to be taking a bit of a sabbatical from a few of the distractions in my life (including facebook). You can still reach me via email, but it may take longer than usual for me to answer.

I restate this here as a bit of a reminder to myself:

"Therefore, I urge (parakaleo) you, brothers,
in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God—
this is your spiritual act of worship..."