In Romans 12:1, Paul gives us an important word of encouragement.  He tells us what we should do with our bodies.

Romans 12:1 (ESV)
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.

Presenting our bodies to God as living sacrifices is the best way to be sure that we are living lives that are pleasing to Him.  How can we give our bodies as living sacrifices?  The wise man helps us with this in the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)
²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

The heart that we should keep with all vigilance is not the organ that pumps blood throughout the rest of our bodies but is referring to the mind.  We must keep our minds safe from the assaults of the devil and not allow ungodly things to infiltrate them.  The salvation of our souls depends on this.  Jesus taught the same thing in Luke 6:45.  “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good…”  Do not let the devil corrupt your mind.  Be very careful what you allow inside your heart.  Let us all follow the inspired instructions of Paul and fill our minds with things that are true, honorable, just, and pure (Philippians 4:8).

Proverbs 4:24 (ESV)
²⁴ Put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you.

The tongue is very important.  It has the power to both kill and make alive (Proverbs 18:21).  While we know that the tongue cannot literally kill, it can tear others down and lead to the destruction of the soul.  James tells us that in the tongue is a world of unrighteousness (James 3:6), and that it cannot be tamed (3:8).  That does not mean that we cannot control our tongues, but it does mean that we must always be on guard against misusing it.  We can never relax and not be diligent in the use of our tongues.  In an instant, we can say something that can destroy someone’s life.  We must purposely put away crooked speech and remember that we will have to give an account of every careless word that we speak (Matthew 12:36-37).

Proverbs 4:25 (ESV)
²⁵ Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.

Proper focus is important.  Our goal as Christians is to make it to heaven and help as many people as possible get there as well.  As Paul said, we must keep on pressing toward the goal (Philippians 3:14), but the only way to do that is to look forward.  If we look back, we will swerve off course.  If we look to the side, it will slow down our progress.  Keep your gaze straight, or, as the scripture says, “set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2).  Let us remember to keep the main thing the main thing.

Proverbs 4:26 (ESV)
²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 

Think before you act.  Make sure that your actions involve that which is pleasing to God.  Do not follow a multitude to do evil (Exodus 23:2).  Do not do what is simply pleasing in your own sight (Proverbs 3:7).  Remember, there are only two paths for you to follow.  One leads to destruction and the other leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14).

These are good examples of how we can give our bodies to God as living sacrifices and use the various members of our bodies for His glorification.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.