Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.
2 Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.
3 God has given me grace to speak a warning about pride. I would ask each of you to be emptied of self-promotion and not create a false image of your importance. Instead, honestly assess your worth by using your God-given faith as the standard of measurement, and then you will see your true value with an appropriate self-esteem.
4 In the human body there are many parts and organs, each with a unique function. 5 And so it is in the body of Christ. For though we are many, we’ve all been mingled into one body in Christ. This means that we are all vitally joined to one another, with each contributing to the others. (Romans 12:1-5, TPT)
Review: Our primary purpose in life is to worship (love God back).
We worship by:
1.
Our
fellowship (loving one another)
2.
Our
discipleship (becoming like His Son)
3.
Our stewardship
(serving Him with the resources He’s given us) God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made
us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had
already planned for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 ERV)
How
do we find our sweet spot of service?
Your
form (makeup) + your faith (maturity) =Your function (ministry)
Your Form:
Spiritual Gifts:
·
Specific
abilities
·
Graciously
given by the Holy Spirit
·
To
edify the believer
10 Use whatever gift you’ve received for the good of one another so that you can show yourselves to be
good stewards of God’s grace in all its varieties. 11 If you’re
called upon to talk, speak as though God put the words in your mouth; if you’re
called upon to serve others, serve as though you had the strength of God behind
you. In these ways, God may be glorified in all you do through Jesus the
Anointed, to whom belongs glory and power, now and forever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11, VOICE)
Personality:
·
How am I energized by tasks or people?
·
How am I organized (structured or unstructured)?
13 For You shaped me, inside and
out. You knitted me together in my mother’s womb long before I took my first breath. 14 I will
offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe. You have approached even the smallest details
with excellence; Your works are wonderful; carry this knowledge deep
within my soul. (Psalm 139:13-14, VOICE)
Passions:
·
What people are on your heart?
·
What problems are on your heart?
Yes, it is God who is working in you.
He helps you want to do what pleases him, and he gives you the power to do it. (Philippians 2:13, ERV)
Your Faith:
·
Where has God told you to serve?
If anyone serves Me, let him be following Me. And where I am, there
also My servant will be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:26, DLNT)
Your Function:
·
You must fulfill it.
“Pay attention to the things you are
naturally drawn to. They are often connected to your path, passion, and purpose
in life.” (www.LiveLifeHappy.com) [i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon “Work by
Design: Living by Design” (Installment five), Sunday
May 26, 2019, Pastor Dave Jansen, CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH.
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