Ritual – The Presidential Prayer Team

By the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. – Romans 12:1

What day of the week do you grocery shop? What if next week you get in the car, drive to the store, get a cart, push it around then get back into your car and return home. How effective would that be in feeding your family? Rituals in life, like going to the grocery store, have their place. But the value in the effort is in securing nourishment!

Rituals in the life of faith are important too, but like going to the store without getting food, the actions themselves are only valuable if they lead to an attitude of worship. The ancient Israelites had Mosaic Law guiding their relationship with God. Those rituals were prescribed as a beautiful picture of how God would one day ransom ALL people from sin. External practices were put into place as, “regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation” (Hebrews 9:10).

Now, in the modern church age, reformation has come, only baptism and communion have been commanded as ordinances to be observed. The resurrection of Christ takes the external practices of the Law and moves them into a present opportunity. You can know God today, not by performing rituals but by coming into His presence, surrendering in faith to His mercy, and offering Him the sacrifice of praise.

The value of ritual is found in bringing your heart closer to God in relationship. Pray for America’s public officials to move past old traditions to find a fresh relationship with God, personally, and seek His guidance in governing the nation.

Today’s Verse: Romans 12:1

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.

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Recommended for further reading: Mark 7:5-9

And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;
⁷in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

⁸You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

⁹And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!