Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 14:3
Our worship focus yesterday morning focused on taking an honest look at ourselves (one of the hardest things we will ever do), recognizing our natural position (part of the problem in the world), and moving beyond our flawed humanity to pursue transformation in Jesus. The link to the sermon is here.
We heard a short story and conversation from Donald Miller in his book Blue Like Jazz that set the table for our approach, and then considered Paul talking about spiritual gifting in the section of Romans we were investigating...
Maybe the thing we can carry with us from our worship (knowing how forgetful we all are...as well as how busy we are!) is this: verse 1 of chapter 12 roots us in giving us the aim for our life: the whole of ourselves given over to God as an act of worship, verse 2 calling us to the renewal of our minds, and verse 3 calling us to kill pride and cultivate humility in the footsteps of Jesus. Following Jesus can seem very complex in today's world. This simple approach in the beginning of chapter 12 can cut through all the layers and help us restore simplicity in our lives.
Give God all of your life...that your life may shine brighter and brighter each day. Kill pride and self-centeredness and instead cultivate humility in the footsteps of Jesus; recognizing that as you pursue this goal, you will find things flowing out of your life and gifts you would have never known were possible in you...these are the spiritual gifts. We don't have to define them rigidly, we simply have to cling to Christ and trust God in the details.
What is our goal as a church community? Simply surviving, or committed to thriving? We need commitment: to one another, and to Jesus, if we want to thrive.
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