Prove What???

When I was reading in Romans this morning, this verse kind jumped out at me:

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. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

I had to do a double take on that one. Prove what?? I have heard this verse nearly my entire life and it just hit me. We have to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God??

That really caught me off guard. As I read this verse over and over, it started to sink in. "Present your bodies a living sacrifice...." A living sacrifice??? 

What does a living sacrifice mean? To me, it means choosing to sacrifice, or give, your life.

Thinking about it this way gives this verse a whole new meaning. "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God..." Makes sense, right?

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." This is telling us how we can present ourselves a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable unto God. Don't do the things this world does (be not conformed to this world), but stay in the Word and walk in the Holy Ghost (but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.)

This verse now has a totally different meaning to me. God wants us to willingly give our lives to Him by not doing things of the world and staying in the Word and filled with the Holy Ghost. If we give our lives to God, then we can prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Wow! What a powerful verse!