Being saved is one thing. Offering yourself to God is another. In Romans 12:1-2 Paul urges his Christian readers to offer themselves to God.

The offering of self to God is reasonable, that is, appropriate. God has offered up his Son for the redemption of sinners and all who believe his Son are justified in his sight. Since God has accepted sinners through their faith in Jesus it behoves those who are saved to present themselves to God for service. You are saved to serve.

This offering of self is an act of the will. Note Paul beseeches his readers to offer themselves. He appeals to their wills. God will not offer you to service; you must offer yourselves. Your will is appealed to. Paul once pleaded with sinners. Now, he pleads with saints.

The offering of self to God is qualitative. It is conditional on the offering being holy and acceptable to God. Only your best should be offered to God. Being holy means you must be set apart from the dominion of sin. Also, it means you must be working out your salvation by holy living. Your offering must be acceptable to God. There is but one way of acceptance and that is through Jesus Christ.

Your offering will involve separation from the world. You are not to be conformed to the thinking of the world but transformed by the renewing of your minds. We are naturally drawn to the world with all its glitter and glamour but if you are to offer yourself God you must not be conformed to this world.

Separation from the world means to be transformed in your minds. Paul says be transformed by the renewing of your minds. Here is something quite wonderful - the renewing of the mind. Only God through Jesus Christ can renew the mind and give it new principles. Only God through Jesus Christ can purge it of guilt. How wonderful is Christian redemption. Through it Christians are renewed in their minds and have the mind of Christ. They see things from Christ’s perspective.

The point Paul is making is that believers are to present themselves as living sacrifices to God. But this presenting of self to God leads to something, namely, the knowledge of God’s will. As Christians present themselves to God they shall know the will of God described as "good and acceptable and perfect". The offering up of self leads to the knowledge of God’s will.

Paul himself experienced this. He was struck down by Christ on the road to Damascus. He then presented himself to Christ by saying "Lord, what do you want me to do?" (Acts 9:6). Subsequently he understood the will of God for him. Paul was to become the chief apostle to the Gentiles.

A proper offering of self to God leads to a knowledge of his will.

Christians, offer yourselves to God. You may not be called to be a preacher or missionary but you are urged to present your lives to God.

You will discover God’s will for you.

Let me close by relating a story. A Chinese missionary working in East Kalimantan told of an indigenous church service where the offerings were being taken. In this church the offering bag was a huge sack into which the congregation would put in their offerings made up of money, fruit and vegetables. On one occasion a young boy joined the deacons as the big sack was being passed around. He refused to sit down and followed the sack and the church officers all the way to the front of the church for prayers. He subsequently revealed that he was the offering but that he was too big to fit into the bag. Hence he followed the bag all the way to the front of the church for a prayer of dedication. This boy grew up to be a very useful translator for the pastor.

Christians, will you, as it were, put yourself into the offering bag?

There is room in God’s service for you to fit in.