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I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. (Romans 12:1-8)
The world offers so many things; Christ offers more. The world expects this and that; Jesus expects holiness and purity. Not a holier than thou attitude, but a I'm here to serve God one, that blesses others while blessing you. Paul, as he writes this, is literally wanting believers to live as sacrificial lambs of God. The lambs chosen for this were without blemish, and stood out among all the rest. The blemishes offered by the world stain us to the point of being useless for God, still Christ calls us to be renewed, "holy and acceptable to God, living a life that is worship. It is so easy to give in and follow the world, but Jesus calls us beyond; our minds can be transformed and renewed from thinking and living earthly ways, to a life that is "good, acceptable, and perfect." We should serve God and God's people with humility, guided by Him to places that bring good. Whatever it is we are called to do, we are part of God's team, each job done by others may be different from ours, but still is worthwhile and good. Use whatever gifts God has given you in ministry, and do it exceedingly well.
Take a moment today to reflect on the good you have been called to do for Jesus. If you're not pleased or satisfied that you are doing it well, make that your prayer priority for today. Jesus wants you and needs you and you can do it well.
PRAYER: Loving God, for whatever You have called me to do, let me do it well. Let me be a blessing to You and Yours. If You should find me lacking in any way, restore me right now to Thy service. This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
