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. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2 

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They say weighing yourself more often impacts your health. Personally, I don’t like getting up on a scale every day. I know what it’s going to tell me—the truth. On the other hand, part of me appreciates the honesty. The scale reveals reality, even when I’m not ready to admit what’s true or change my behavior in response. But in the end, it’s healthier for me to trust the scale.

As I started thinking about God’s mercy, His will, and my role in relationship with Him in Romans 12:1-2, I can’t shake the image of weighing myself. These verses follow a section of Scripture that lays out a case for the Lord’s gracious love toward imperfect people like you and me. This isn’t something I fully understand or want to admit. Yet, put me on a scale before God and I know it’s true. The fact is, our heavenly Father invites you and me in to accept ourselves “as is,” like He does, and surrender our whole self to Him without reservation (v. 1). It makes no sense to hold anything back from God as we seek to worship Him. It’s as pointless as weighing only my legs and telling my doctor I recently lost over 100 pounds since my last visit.

Learning to put all of me on the scale, and then trust what it says, affords an opportunity to test and approve God’s best next step to take. Maybe I need to change my calorie intake or exercise more? Rather than ignore reality, a tempting pattern in this world, I can weigh valid options and honor the Lord as He guides (v. 2). Before my heart can discern God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will, my mind needs to be renewed, to be transformed by what’s true.

Far beyond stepping on scales and pursuing physical health, the Lord wants you and me to demonstrate total devotion to Him. It’s how Jesus worshiped and our example to follow. Christ was also perfectly attuned to God’s will, able to know and obey the Lord’s lead at every turn. As you and I take steps to discover and live out God-given dreams, we need to surrender all and trust the scale. Our heavenly Father will train us along the way to weigh what’s best and proceed accordingly.

Next Steps

Is there anything you’re holding back from God that may be keeping you from seeing reality and His will clearly? Ask a friend or your small group to help you name what’s true so you can better discern God’s best moving forward.