Romans 12:1 says:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

When we read this verse and hear sermons on it, we usually discuss what it means to be living sacrifices. But our sermon last Sunday wasn’t about that — it was about why we need to offer our bodies — and our life — as living sacrifices. The verse has the “why” in there. It’s because of God’s mercy. And what is God’s mercy? The forgiveness of our sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

You see, God gave us his gift freely to us and freely we except it. We could accept this gift freely and go one with our sinful lives, knowing that we are already forgiven for them. Or we could give a proper response — a response that get closer to the gift that we cannot repay. We can live a life that God calls us to, one “holy and pleasing to God”. Not because we have to, but because we are grateful for the ultimate gift God has given to us. Once we realize what an awesome gift we have, how can we not try to do such a thing?