Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—
this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern
of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Romans 12:1-2 NIV

This month’s beacon is taken from Our Daily Bread with regular contributor Xochitl
Dixon sharing a few thoughts on Romans 12:1-2 entitled Just like Jesus. I read this
recently and thought I would share this to encourage us as a church family as we
enter the Autumn season with its many changing colours: In 2014, biologists
captured a pair of orange pigmy seahorses in the Philippines. They collected the
marine creatures, along with a section of the orange coral sea fan they called home,
for further study. Scientist wanted to know if the pygmy seahorses were born to
match the colours of their parents or their environment. When the pygmy seahors-
es gave birth to dull brown babies, scientists placed a purple coral sea fan into the
tank. The babies, whose parents were orange, changed their colour to match the
purple sea fan. Due to their fragility by nature their survival depends on their
God-given ability to blend into their environment. Blending-in is a useful defence
mechanism in nature. However, God invites all people to receive salvation and stand
out in the world we live (to be beacons for Jesus and to make him known). The
apostle Paul urges us to honour God in every aspect of our lives to worship him by
offering our bodies as a “living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1.). Due to our fragility as human
beings being affected by sin (or the bad stuff we sometimes do), our spiritual health
depends on the Holy Spirit “renewing” our minds and empowering us to avoid
conforming to “the pattern of this world” that rejects God and glorifies sin (v.2).
Blending into this world means living in opposition to the scriptures. However,
through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can look and love just like Jesus!

Blessings, Prayers and love,

Robert