I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. — Romans 12:1

Have you ever considered that denying yourself is a form of spiritual worship? It is an expression of love. We often practice this without even realizing it. For instance, there are times when you really want something or don’t want to do something, but you give it up or do it because of your feelings for the person’s preferences with whom you are spending time. We do this for our family and friends; we bend to the will of others because we care for them and love them.

Here, Paul is saying that laying down our lives, or “denying self,” is an act of spiritual worship, an expression of adoration and love toward God. By doing so, we begin to cultivate a heavenly mindset, one that is continually brought before God and tested by our willingness to let go.

Here is the clincher: the things we let go of often put up a fight as we try to render them dead. They may reason with us, saying that we will miss them, it will be terrible without them, or that we need them. However, Scripture tells us that as we let go, we can discern the will of God, which is good and acceptable. In other words, you didn’t “need” what you were holding on to.

Is there something the Lord may be calling you to lay down? Will you consider this act of spiritual worship?