Romans 12:1
Why do you follow God? What is the core reason behind your devotion, your obedience, and your choice to walk with Him? Why did you choose this way of life? What kind of life are you living now because of that choice? And what have you given or are you giving up to remain on this path?
As Christians, it’s vital that we reflect deeply on these questions at the beginning of our journey with God. Because if we don’t truly understand why we follow Him, it becomes difficult to remain faithful when life becomes hard.
These questions came to mind as I began studying Romans 12, especially verses 1–3:
Romans 12:1 (NLT): "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."
The highest offering we can give God is true worship and I’ll return to that point. But let me start by reflecting on that first question: Why do I follow God? Is it because I want to avoid hell? Is it out of fear? Or do I follow Him only because I expect something in return?
I used to think, “Yadessa, why don’t you just sin?” and my answer was always, “Because God doesn’t like it.” But that reason didn’t have enough power to stop me it didn’t bring transformation.
The true answer should’ve been: God’s ‘ርህራሄ’. Paul urges us in Romans 12 to respond to God because of His ርህራሄ.
Let’s define that word: ርህራሄ Imagine someone who is completely poor, helpless, and hopeless. Now imagine the wealthiest, most powerful person choosing to feed him, give him a home, and provide for him not because they are related, not because he earned it, but out of pure ርህራሄ.
Now multiply that by eternity and you begin to understand what God has done for us. Unlike that poor man, we were not neutral we were sinners, even enemies of God. And yet, He gave us His Son. When Jesus was on the cross, pleading with the Father, He didn’t receive mercy. But we did. We were the ones who received the mercy Jesus did.
So when someone asks you why you follow God, the only true answer is: His ‘ርህራሄ’.
Think about what God said of Jacob and Esau: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." Instead of asking “Why did God hate Esau?” ask “How did God love Jacob?” What did Jacob do to deserve God’s love? What did we do to deserve His love? The answer is: nothing. It’s all mercy undeserved, unearned, unmatched.
And what can we give back for all that He has done? Truthfully, we have nothing that can ever repay Him. But Romans 12:1 tells us that the greatest response is to give ourselves our very bodies as a living and holy sacrifice. Not just words, not just feelings but our lives. That is true worship.
Romans 12:2 (NLT): "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."
That transformation our renewed mind, our surrendered life is the pleasing and perfect will of God.
So let us wake up with this truth, carry it in our everyday lives, and grow closer to Him through surrender.
We don’t follow God out of fear or for reward. We follow Him because of Jesus. Because of His ርህራሄ. Because of the love that gave us a Savior.
Let that truth sink deep into your heart Jesus is the reason.
Amen.
