Romans 12: 1-5

How should we think?   We are told in the word of God that we are to present our bodies as a living gift (sacrifice) to God.  We are to be living in a way that we do not have on going sin in our lives.   We want God to be proud of us.   This is our reasonable service.   It is not unreasonable to serve the Lord and live for him.   Some think God asks too much    This is the way that will bring us peace, comfort, and acceptance.   Set yourself apart from sin.  We are not to be conformed to this world.  The word conformed means to be shaped from the outside.   It is like dough that is being shaped,  We know the world is trying to conform our lives.  We are not be shaped by the world.   We are not to allow the pressures of the world to shape our lives.   Live for God-not giving in to the world.   But we are to be transformed by the renewing of our  mind-how we think.   To be conformed is from the outside.  To be transformed comes from within-our minds.   If we follow Gods teaching He will guide us in how He wants us to think and act and live.   A lot of ht problems in the world today are made from people who seemed confused in their thinking.  What is right is wrong in the world’s eye.   These people are not thinking right.  We should think how God would have us to think.   Being transformed we will be able to prove what is right by God’s will.   That will show the world the right and perfect will of God.  That is the real challenge in living the Christian life; to live how God will have us to live.  We want to live according to the will of God.   We need to ask the Lord what His will is for our lives.  It is not about our will.   It is about His will for our lives.   Don’t think of ourselves more highly than we ought to.   As humans we tend to compare ourselves to others-better than others.   As a Christian, the position that we have is not any higher than anyone else in the kingdom work.   The body of the church is like the human body.   Each part of the body is important.  We need all the individual parts of our body to function as needed so that the whole body can function as it is suppose to.   Each part of the body has a job to do in the body of Christ.  Then the church can accomplish what God wants it to accomplish.   God does not want the church to be disabled-He wants to be to whole and healthy.  Every one who is int he body of Christ is an important member.   Even the little finger on a hand has a purpose.  Each part does a different work.   Each part is necessary for a healthy body.   We need each other in order to be the  church that God would have us to be.   We need to function and do the work that God has called us to do.   For the church to function correctly we need to be willing to do more than we have to.  It is not in our nature to want to do more.   But when we do more we witness to the joy in serving Jesus.  It makes a difference to those around you.