Devotion 8.21.26

Romans 11:33 - 12:3

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,

  or who has been his counselor?”

35 “Or who has given a gift to him

  that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

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. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Gifts of Grace

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

What we know about the Living God is revealed through his Word; therefore, be mindful of your Christian calling by being aware of your witness as a disciple according to God's Word as it is revealed to you, each according to the grace and skill given to you as an individual and as body of believers.

We all possess an interest in something. Something catches our attention in this world and holds it. Things, over time, shape us. Sometimes it is a parent, other times an influence of some kind - person, place or thing - that we pattern our life after.

We set goals - stated or unstated, to become like this or adopt this way about ourselves. Who we hang out with becomes important, because we enjoy being with like-minded people, many of whom have a common interest in similar people, places or things. These bring us together. 

So, who or what is your influencer? Who or what shaped you to become who or what you are today? How are you doing on that scorecard?

These thoughts and questions are coming directly from Paul's attention-grabbing message to us today from Romans. Want to be more Christ-like? Is that a goal of yours? Do so by not attempting to be God because what you know about God is revealed. What is revealed, what we've read over these past few weeks, can be summarized in short order:

1. God is God.

2. I am not God.

3. Let God be God.

God is the author of our faith. We know that through his Word. God gave us redemption and salvation through his Son Jesus Christ. I cannot attain this faith through my own actions. We also know this through his Word. Christ will judge the world ultimately on the day the Father decides. During our stay here on earth, we do not want to love the world so much that we conform to its ways and forget that, together with the Spirit, we speak the truth in love to the lost in this world. 

It is easy to conform to this world and its ways. I can attest to that. It is easy to love the things of this life and forget my primary mission in life is to share Christ with others. It is easy to condemn, puff myself up and deem myself cool and worthy of earthly praise. It is hard to let those things not be important and to keep the main thing the main thing: Christ and him crucified.

Pray with me; God, Father and creator of my faith, help me to live out that faith by following the path you have given me. Help me through your Spirit to use these talents and knowledge of you to share to a lost world. Forgive me when I pass on these opportunities and help me remember to keep the main thing the main thing at all times. In your Son's holy and precious name, Amen.