Do you remember the Hokey Pokey? That catchy little kids tune, that went like this… “you put your right foot in, you put your right foot out, you put your right foot in and you shake it all about?” Then you “do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around, because that’s what it’s all about!” Well through the stanzas of the song, all the various body parts get put in the circle, and then it ends with putting your whole self in, and putting your whole self out!

When I think of the Holey Pokey, I’m reminded of another instruction from the Apostle Paul, when he writes: “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship” (Rom. 12:1). “To present your bodies” is Paul’s way of saying, put your whole self in and be all in for Jesus.

Present Your Bodies as a Living Sacrifice

To be “all in” for Jesus, means that we present our lives to Jesus as a living sacrifice. In some ways, it’s like Paul is calling out the last stanza of the Hokey Pokey, “You put your whole self in!” Not just an arm, or a leg, or an elbow. In other words, you’re all in. Meaning that you’re committed to do whatever God wants you to do, in every area of your life.

In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I live by faith, I live for Christ, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Paul clearly understood the commitment it took to follow Jesus, and he was willing to risk his very life for the sake of the gospel.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of baptizing a woman who converted from the Muslim faith to Christianity. When I asked Anahita, what her baptism meant to her, she said it meant that she was “all in”! Then she went on to explain, that in her county she could die, for publicly declaring her faith in Jesus. To be a “living sacrifice,” begins with a decision to give God permission to lead and guide our lives according to His purpose and plan, not my own. Even at the risk of losing friendships, or life itself.

See Jesus As Your Lord, not Your Consultant

Ask yourself this. Do you want Jesus as your consultant or as your Lord? What’s the difference you ask? Well when a consultant gives you advice or direction, then you have the opportunity to follow the advice or not. But, when Jesus is your Lord and says jump, you ask, “how far?”

A few years ago, I was addicted to the show The Profit. In the show, Marcus, a successful small business owner, would consult with the owners of struggling businesses, offering them feedback and suggestions for turning around their business. Many of the owners, would agree in theory the  suggestions Marcus would make, but many would refuse to implement his strategies and as a result fail in their business ventures.

Unfortunately, this is how many of us operate with God. We read His Word, we listen to messages, we may even be in a small group, but we fail to integrate His truths into our lives. That’s because we see Jesus more as a consultant, and often think we know better than God when it comes to the decisions in our lives. Unfortunately, most times that is a recipe for disaster, because we are not God nor do we have the perspective God has.

Don’t Conform to the Pattern of this World

To “not be conformed to the pattern of this world,” means that, I don’t take my values, my standards, my priorities from the world around me. It saddens me that we have developed a kind of selective Christianity that allows us to be deeply and sincerely involved in worship and church activities, and yet almost totally pagan in the day to day activities of our lives. And what is even more troubling is that most of us never realize the discrepancy.

In order to not be “confirmed to the pattern of this world” we need to determine what we expose ourselves to. Input always determines output. So, ask yourself, what do you watch? And what do you read? Are they helping or hurting my spiritual life? Who do you hang with? As Proverbs 13:20 says, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Finally, who are you trying to impress? So often we compromise our values, because we are trying to impress someone.

There have been times when I have had to take a break from social media because it just hasn’t been good for my soul. You know how it goes. Trying to impress people through posts or finding yourself jealous of a friend or a relative who always seems to go on extravagant vacations.

Whatever the temptation, we’re exhorted to no longer follow the pattern of this world. As Christians, we live by a different standard.

Renew Your Mind

Finally, in Romans 12, if we’re to be all in, we need to renew our minds. In other words, we’re to align our thoughts, values and priorities with God’s viewpoint. Our part in renewing our minds is to flee what’s harmful, and feed on what’s helpful.

For me, the practice of renewing my mind, means that I memorize a lot of Scripture. That I hang with people who motivate and encourage me. That I watch what kind of movies I see. That I meditate on God’s Word. And as a result, I can test and approve God’s good and perfect will.

So, are you ready to do the Hokey Pokey for God? To put your whole self in. To offer yourself as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him? If so, I pray you will experience the joy and wonder of what Romans 12:2 promises, that “you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”