Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2, HCSB).

The mercies of God are seen in our lives in so many ways. Just this week those blogging with me have been presented themselves by sacrificing their lives for God's will and seen the mercies of God in action. Two of Sharon Beougher's daughters sacificied by going on a mission trip when the youngest came down with Typhoid Fever - yet by their examples many saw the Lord in action both on the field and in the hospital, Regina Gibson had a baby after months of pregnancy and 24 hours of labor (welcome baby Micah!), Tracy Jones watched the results of lostness in her family of origin and then rushed to Colorado for her dad's emergency surgery, and we moved Kelli to Louisville and watch God work as she gives up her life to follow the Lord in His call to ministry. And these are just the tidbits because one paragraph doesn't even begin to tell you.

As we give up our lives, we watch God move but it doesn't mean it is easy. There are trials along the way. Saved people along the way are not perfect and lost people still act like lost people. We should expect no less.

Our lives are no different than yours. No, we don't have time to live sacrificially because we are so busy being living sacrifices. Romans 12:1-2 urges us to live our lives by being holy and pleasing to God. This is something that God must do through us. He has to make us into the women that He calls us to be. We are not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The only way this can happen is that we must make sure we have time to present ourselves. God gives us hope. He gives us the discernment in life when we come before Him on a daily basis.

So I urge you, give up your life and live for Him. Life isn't perfect but God says that we can know His good, pleasing, and perfect will...and that's enough for me.