I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1
My reasonable service? Why would presenting my body a living sacrifice be my reasonable service to God?
The answer lies in my status: I am a bond servant.
- I was bought with a price. I belong to someone. He redeemed me from my bondage.
- I chose to stay even after I was set free. By my solemn vow, I have promised to obey and serve my Master forever.
- It is reasonable for a servant to serve her master. That is what servants do.
- It is reasonable to do what one is created to do.
The great irony is that even though I was only a bond servant, the Master calls me His daughter, and He has given me an inheritance, something only a child receives. Indeed, I have been made a child of God. I call Him Abba (translated: “Papa”)
The miracle of grace is that while all He expects from me is my reasonable service, He has made me a co-heir with Christ.