Saturday, October 30, 2010

Personal Responsibility...

As a warrior for Christ...Paul who wrote the book of the bible called Romans says, "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him." (Romans 12:1)

For a long time (before I was married) I always thought of that verse to mean that I shouldn't add another tatoo (YES, I have a tatoo!) to myself or that I should always wear more modest clothing so as not to make a man stumble in their walk with God or that I should not use profanity. As a baby Christian, just beginning to truly learn about God and who He was...I was very literal and only had a limited perspective on God. That is not a bad thing...it was just a thing...that is just where I was, and for me...that was MY beginning of a new journey into knowing who God was and what He wanted for me. All those things were things I had my own convictions about at the time. Your convictions right now may be something totally different than those...maybe you need to stop drinking and/or smoking...or maybe you need to honor God by using your talents and gifts the way He intended you to use them. I don't know where your convictions lie, but heed to that still small voice that is telling you to honor God in the way He intended.

God has brought me a long way from that point and has taught me so much from then till now. I now see this verse in a whole different light and see it as "my personal responsibility" to offer myself...which includes not only honoring Him by the ways listed above, but also honor Him by using the gifts and talents that He has given me so I can build up His church!

God has given each of us a unique ability to do certain things well. Whether it be to prophesy (speaking out when you have faith that God is speaking through you), or the gift of serving, loving, showing kindness, encouraging, or leading others. Or even if He has blessed you with money, that you share it generously. Whatever your gifts are God be faithful in seeking ways to serve other with what Christ has given you!

And if you are unsure of what those gifts are...then begin reading God's word and pray in faith and believe that God will reveal to you the way in which you can "be a living and holy sacrifice" to Him.

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