Paul urged the Romans (and us) to present their bodies as a "living" and "Holy" sacrifice, acceptable to God, letting them know this is their service of worship to God. He didn't tell them they needed to become alive or work up to a holiness worthy of presenting.

Paul urged the Romans (and us) to present their bodies as a "living" and "Holy" sacrifice, acceptable to God, letting them know this is their service of worship to God. He didn't tell them they needed to become alive or work up to a holiness worthy of presenting.

I was reading in Judges 6, beginning in verse 11, the account of Gideon and God calling him to defeat the army of their enemy, the Midianites. Verse 11 begins,

Sometimes during the Christmas season, I think about what I learned about Santa when I was an impressionable kid: "You better watch out, you better not cry, Better not pout; I'm telling you why Santa Claus is comin' to town.

Why can we freely and easily encourage others, but when it comes to us, a different standard applies? That can be a complicated question, but it doesn't have to be.