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Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. You're listening

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Speaker 1: to Daily Devotions with Pastor John. I'm John Stonge, and

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Speaker 1: today's devotion is inspired by Romans chapter 12, verse 1,

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Speaker 1: which says, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the

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Speaker 1: mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,

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Speaker 1: holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

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Speaker 1: Our bodies are fascinating to observe, and they're constructed with

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Speaker 1: intricate detail. They have been intentionally designed by the Lord

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Speaker 1: to function on this earth and in this environment. Our

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Speaker 1: bodies are amazingly complex, and they serve as a visible

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Speaker 1: testimony that points to the reality of the existence of

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Speaker 1: our Creator. Scripture tells us that we have been created

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Speaker 1: in the image of God. As we use the bodies

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Speaker 1: He has blessed us with, we can choose to honor

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Speaker 1: Him or we can choose to scoff at Him. We

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Speaker 1: can subject our bodies to distasteful and dishonorable practices or

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Speaker 1: we can use our bodies to bring Christ glory. In

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Speaker 1: the Old Testament era, it was required of the people

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Speaker 1: of Israel to ceremonially sacrifice the bodies of various animals

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Speaker 1: to the Lord. And with that practice in mind, the

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Speaker 1: Lord implores us to offer our bodies to Him as well,

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Speaker 1: but not as a blood sacrifice, as a living sacrifice.

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Speaker 1: This means that as we live, we should do so

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Speaker 1: with the understanding that we aren't living for ourselves, but

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Speaker 1: rather for our Lord. who gave life and breath to

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Speaker 1: our bodies in the first place. Christ sacrificially gave his

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Speaker 1: body on the cross to atone for our sin. Now

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Speaker 1: he calls us to treat our bodies like an offering

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Speaker 1: of worship unto him by living in such a way

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Speaker 1: that he is glorified in how our bodies are used

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Speaker 1: and cared for. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for

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Speaker 1: your word. And we thank you for the privilege that

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Speaker 1: it is to be able to read this portion of

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Speaker 1: Scripture together today from the book of Romans. And Lord,

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Speaker 1: as we look at what you've communicated to us in

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Speaker 1: this portion of your word, we see that you have

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Speaker 1: implored us, you make an appeal to us that we

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Speaker 1: would present our bodies as a living sacrifice, that the

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Speaker 1: ways in which we use and utilize our bodies would

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Speaker 1: honor you, would worship you, would reflect the fact that

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Speaker 1: you are Lord of our lives. Lord, we know that

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Speaker 1: our old nature would love for us to use our

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Speaker 1: bodies in a way that dishonors you. And at many

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Speaker 1: times in our lives, we can point to moments and

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Speaker 1: even seasons when we've done just that. But now through

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Speaker 1: faith in your son, Jesus Christ, we have a new

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Speaker 1: perspective and we're living a new life. We've been made

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Speaker 1: a new creation. And with your help, Lord, as you

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Speaker 1: open our eyes, we begin to see the fact that

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Speaker 1: we have been created in your image and and we're

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Speaker 1: to use our bodies to present them as a living

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Speaker 1: sacrifice for your glory. Father, we're grateful for the fact

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Speaker 1: that your Son, Jesus Christ, sacrificially gave his body on

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Speaker 1: the cross to atone for our sin. And with that

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Speaker 1: in mind, we pray that we would be unselfish in

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Speaker 1: how we perceive ourselves and how we use the bodies

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Speaker 1: you've given us. As we live, we pray that we

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Speaker 1: would live unto you, and that we wouldn't idolize our

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Speaker 1: preferences or the temptations of our old nature, but that

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Speaker 1: we would recognize that you have given us these bodies

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Speaker 1: so that they can be used for good and for

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Speaker 1: your glory. Thank you, Lord, for this reminder from your

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Speaker 1: word today. We commit this day to your care, and

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Speaker 1: we pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.