Everything we are is due to the grace of God. We come to Him by His grace. We worship Him through His grace. We present ourselves to Him, as living sacrifices, because of His grace. We “do” for Him so that we may show our love to Him, for all that He has done for us. Romans 12:1 tells us that it is our “reasonable service of worship”, in light of all He has done for us.
Moving on from this introduction on being a living sacrifice, we find a list of ways in which we can, as the body of Christ, live this out to the fullest. In God’s grace, knowing that all things we are and have come from God alone, we are to be humble before God and man, using the gifts that He has bestowed upon us, to serve God and others.
Gifts of Grace
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
The Message translates this passage in a very relatable manner:
I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
We are God’s creation, created to do good works for Him. When we see ourselves as God sees us, His sons and daughters, made in His image, bought with the priceless blood of Jesus Christ, we have the proper understanding of Whose we are and why we serve.
In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
We need each other in order to effectively build the kingdom of God. We can’t serve the Lord effectively if we are doing it Lone Ranger style. The Message says, a “chopped-off finger or cut-off toe” wouldn’t amount to much. What an excellent visual! Chopped off limbs can’t survive apart from the body. When a person literally chops off a finger, immediate first aid is needed to attempt to save the severed limb. Both the body and the severed appendage needs help. The body of Christ suffers when a member cuts himself off and spiritual first aid is crucial for everyone involved. We need to reach out to those who are hurting, whether it is injury brought by the church or injury because the person thought they did not need the body of Christ. All suffer when a brother or sister in the Lord has removed themselves from fellowship and service. Don’t let pride get in the way of reaching out to those who have vanished from the fellowship. Don’t let pride get in the way when we hear the reasons for their absence. They are hurting. They need to be loved on and the body needs them to be whole and healthy. So reach out to those who are missing from one’s fellowship and provide the first aid that is so crucial. And if you find yourself as the severed limb, don’t let pride keep you from coming back to the body who needs and loves you!
If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
It is all about Jesus. Keep one’s focus on Him while serving, be filled with His power, and let His grace do the work.
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8