Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

While listening to a sermon in which this verse was used, I remembered an old teaching about the issue of presenting your bodies to the King.

Genesis 24:26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord.

1 Chronicles 29:20 And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the Lord your God. And all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the king.

The issue of bowing one’s head before the Lord and Kings is as old a custom as there is in any of scriptures and history. Historically it has a significant meaning we do not often associate with worship but has associated meaning with Romans 21:1.

Custom was that when you come before your King a servant would bow his head as if he were about to be executed, beheaded. His life was in the King’s hand, to do with as the King pleased. It also meant that his mind had lost its independence, that no thought would ever be uttered that was not also subject to the King’s will.

When we look to the issue of presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice in Romans 12:1 we often lose sight of that worldly custom, we are after all so far removed from living under ancient kings. But we do serve the King of Glory and our lives are His to do with as He wills. We have the mind of Christ, His thoughts should be our thoughts.

We know our loving Lord and Savior full of grace, merciful and forgiving almost to the exclusion of His absolute authority over every aspect of our lives. Perhaps we should remember that.