In Which I Share Some Sunday Thoughts

I wanted to share some notes I took yesterday during my dad's sermon on Romans 12:3-8 in church. You can listen to the full recorded sermon here if you'd like, it was very good. :) I somewhat paraphrased my notes here (sometimes my writing quality in my church notebook isn't the best when I have to write really fast to keep up!), but nevertheless my thoughts on this passage and my take from it are the same. I hope it's an encouragement in some way!

"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. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness." Romans 12:3-8

1. humility

The culture around us today constantly tells us to "believe in ourselves," because if we do, everything will turn out okay. The world also tends to take pride and value hand-in-hand, but that's not what the Bible tells us. To have humility is not the same as being value-less, and it certainly does not define our value. In the Bible, we are told that we have value--because of Jesus! Indeed, we can have humility knowing that our value has nothing to do with us, and all to do with Jesus.

2. unity

And in Jesus, we are a fully functioning body of believers. We need our fellow Christians: and we need all of our differences to be that functioning body. If we were all the same, gifted in the same ways, the body could not function, just as only fingers do not make up an entire human body. The body needs eyes, ears, a heart, lungs, and feet to work properly.

But at the same time, we are not just "a cog in the machine." We are of value as individuals not only to Jesus, but hopefully to our church family. Even if we do not always think the same, if we have different opinions, we are united in Jesus.

3. gifts

We have so many different gifts as different parts of the body. Each of us has probably asked at one point: what is my spiritual gift? But there's no specific list or number of gifts. We all have different ways that we can serve God and the church. Paul's point in this passage is--fan the flame of your gift! Once you know what gifts God has given it, use it for his kingdom. Do not let all of the work be on your fellow believers, but share each others' burdens, using your unique and beautiful gifts from God. Serve and use it to God's glory as much as you can. Pour yourself into what God has given you and pour yourself into your church family and fellow believers.

what are your thoughts on this passage? did you agree with these thoughts on it? why or why not?

Toodeloo, friends!

~Lily May