Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
Romans 12:1
Camp life requires lots of sacrifice. You might need to give up your preferences, dedicate your free time to help someone else finish a job, joyfully work even when you haven’t had as much sleep as you’d like, or go out of your way to make someone else feel comfortable and accepted. It could also be a sacrifice to conform to the camp rules for the summer—no fraternizing, restricted use of social media, proper attire for certain activities.
Actually all of life requires sacrifice. And Paul says that Christians are to make sacrifices in order to serve others. Paul even calls this our true worship. In other words, if we really love and worship God, we will be willing to make sacrifices for the benefit of others.
Paul does not use a guilt motive to bring us on board with this. He is not implying that if we can’t do this—the bare minimum—then we’re just not good enough. Paul is not saying, “Shame on you for not trying harder to do what is reasonable.” Nope, not at all.
Nor is Paul motivating us with legalism. Paul does not say that if we sacrifice and serve, then God will accept us and let us come into heaven. Serving is not the basis of earning favor with God.
Nor is comparison the motive to serve. Paul does not exhort us to present our lives in service because that’s what he or other Christian martyrs or great saints have done.
Nor is feelings the motive to serve. Paul does not say we’re supposed to serve others if we feel like it.
The motive mentioned in this verse is grace. The way to motivate yourself to serve is to focus on the “mercies of God.” If you are a believer in Christ, remind yourself how God has shown his grace to you through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross for your sins. Allow this to motivate you to offer up a life of sacrifice.
Serving others is a way to say thank you to God.