“So, brothers and sisters, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This is your appropriate priestly service. Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature” (Romans 12:1-2, CEB).

In this life the only right you truly possess is your right to your self–that is, your will. Your will is the the unique quality of self or being that God has created to make you distinctively human: “The Lord God said, ‘The human being has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil'” (Genesis 3:22, CEB).

In other words, human beings have free will. And, they are free to use their wills to choose good or evil.

You are free to choose how you live your life. You can choose to live according to your own will or you can choose to live according to God’s will.

You can choose to give up your right to your self to God and have eternal life. Or, you can choose to exercise your right to your own self and live a temporal life without God.

Unfortunately, as the Apostle Paul explained in the first chapter of Romans, much of humanity has chosen the latter: ^“Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. So humans are without excuse. Although they knew God, they didn’t honor God as God or thank him. Instead, their reasoning became pointless, and their foolish hearts were darkened… They traded God’s truth for a lie, and they worshiped and served the creation instead of the creator, who is blessed forever.” (Romans 1:20-21,25, CEB).

But, Paul tells us how to reverse this disorder of the will to choose good rather than evil, to choose God’s will rather than self-will.

When you present your self to God as a living sacrifice, that is, when you give up your right to yourself to God, then He will give you a God-consciousness that allows you to determine what His will is for you.

In fact, God wants you to know His will because He has a lifetime assignment for you.

God has a plan and a purpose for you in this life and He wants you to know it.

God will transform your thinking so you can comprehend His will when you make a living sacrifice; when you give your right to your self to God.

So, give up your right to your self to God and use your renewed mind to figure out God’s will.

Then, quit thinking about it and go do it!

People whose lives are based on selfishness think about selfish things, but people whose lives are based on the Spirit think about things that are related to the Spirit. (Romans 8:5, CEB)