Slices
Prepare
‘Come!’ is the gentle but firm invitation from the Lord to us. As you come to the Bible today, also come to the Lord himself.
Bible passage
A living sacrifice
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Humble service in the body of Christ
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Explore
‘I think what you need is Romans chapter 12 verse 1.’ No one had ever spoken to me like that before. I was a typical 15-year-old with an uncomplicated trust in Christ. I was on a Christian skiing holiday, and the leader and I were having a chat. I was curious to discover what he meant, and we looked up Romans 12:1 together. I read that I needed to make a present of myself to God.
This is what the apostle Paul was looking for from the Christians in Rome in response to all God’s mercies (v 1). The simple act and attitude of giving ourselves to God expresses the gratitude of our hearts and releases us to act on it in our lives. We shall find we can have a sturdy independence from the attitudes of the world around us (v 2), a more objective assessment of ourselves (v 3) and a much greater usefulness in the mission and ministry of Christ’s church (vs 4–8).
When it comes to using our abilities and gifts in God’s service, Paul urges that we play our part and do it with heart and soul. And that includes ‘generously’, ‘diligently’ and ‘cheerfully’ (v 8).
Respond
Think of other Christians in your church/fellowship as fellow team members, with their own tasks and specialisms, complementing and belonging to each other. How might you encourage them?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 5,6; Luke 15
Pray for Scripture Union
As the summer holidays begin, please pray that many churches will be inspired to adopt a local community space and make it ‘Holy Ground’, a place to build connections with young people not in church through the language of sport. (This week's prayers relate to this story in Connecting You.)
