squeezed

Paul's words written to the followers of Jesus in Rome, but I think also to us... 


Romans 12:1-2


And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God

because of all he has done for you. 

Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. 

This is truly the way to worship him. 

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, 

but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. 

Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, 

which is good and pleasing and perfect. (NLT)



With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, 

as an act of intelligent worship, 

to give him your bodies, 

as a living sacrifice, 

consecrated to him 

and acceptable by him. 

Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, 

but let God re-mold your minds from within, 

so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, 

meets all his demands 

and moves towards the goal of true maturity. (J B Phillips)



So here’s what I want you to do, 

God helping you: 

Take your everyday, ordinary life;

your sleeping, 

eating, 

going-to-work, 

and walking-around life;

and place it before God as an offering. 

Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. 

Instead, fix your attention on God. 

You’ll be changed from the inside out. 

Readily recognize what he wants from you, 

and quickly respond to it. 

Unlike the culture around you, 

always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, 

God brings the best out of you, 

develops well-formed maturity in you. (The Message)

Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? 

I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. 

And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. 

For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.

2 Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, 

but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit 

through a total reformation of how you think. 

This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, 

satisfying and perfect in his eyes. (The Passion Translation)

Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, 

I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, 

a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; 

this is your reasonable, essential worship. 

2 Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. 

Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. 

As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills 

and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete. (The Voice)