| March 30, 1999 |
Romans 12:1 |
A Life Of Faith Every Day |
| "So then...because of God's great mercy to us, I
appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and
pleasing to him." Paul is asking us to recognize the mercy that God has granted
and to receive this mercy by becoming living sacrifices, by "offering our bodies as
living sacrifices." His guideline for us is not literal, but is spiritual and
physical as our bodies and minds are our vehicles to be Christ’s body as his church.
To live our faith each day is Paul’s challenge to us.
For many of us, our days are filled with earning a living and working to support our
families and lives. Paul’s lesson can seem removed from this daily responsibility,
but it is this very point that each of us needs to recognize, that work and offering
ourselves as Christ’s body are not two separate things. Each day there are many
opportunities at our workplace to do the work of the church. How we act provides an
example of Christian living. Listening, teaching, and guiding our co-workers not only
helps them, but helps ourselves as well. This creates a common objective to address all
the transgressions of life that exist in the workplace. Praying for our associates’
needs and being available to provide assistance is an important gift. We should take the
chance to share God’s word In these relationships and to reach out to those who are
unchurched. Opportunities to share our spiritual gifts to the people and community around
us occur every day, if only we listen and see as Christ wishes we would. |
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your
grace and the unique gifts that you have given each of us. May we grow in faith through
the power of the Holy Spirit and recognize the daily opportunities to be your church in
the ways that we listen and see, such that our gifts from you are not wasted day by day.
Help us to make small contributions day by day that build large differences in others and
ourselves. In Christ’s name, Amen. |
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