August 27 Romans 12:1-8 Transformed by mercy

God’s mercy transforms us to serve God, each other and the lost!                         Psalter reading Psalm 138:1-8

A Psalm of David. I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. 3In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul. 4All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, When they hear the words of Your mouth. 5Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, For great is the glory of the LORD. 6Though the LORD is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar. 7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands. Psalm 138:1-8 NKJV

1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:1-8 NKJV

In the Church we are fond of talking about salvation but not transformation.  Many seem to believe Jesus died to save us but in reality salvation is the method by which God makes us ready for transformation so that we can have a relationship with God for which He created us.

How does God transform us?  Paul tells us that god begins by the renewing of our mind.  Our part is to cut out ties to the world we live in and live for the World we are heading for through god’s grace and salvation.

By being conformed to God rather than the world and the transformation of our minds by God changes our life.

We understand and seek to live the perfect will of God

Understand our place before God and others

To think soberly

Receive the measure of faith we need

Understand our gifts and our place in God’s Body

Allow God to transform your life and discover the joy of dwelling in the presence of God in this world in preparation for living with God in the next!!!