Romans 12:3-8 (NIV)

Romans 12:3-8 (NIV)
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

We learned that to be transformed we must be renewed in our minds. Part of that renewal has to do with how we think about ourselves. Paul uses what I find to be an unusual statement to start out his thoughts on this subject. Paul says "For by the grace given me I say to every one..." and you have to ask why at this juncture does he use this phrase? I believe everything that Paul has been saying is by the grace of God. For me it is as if Paul is going to become like a coach to these people. Paul is wanting God's team in Rome to really come together to serve the one and true God. Paul is letting them know that he is on this team and it is by the grace of God that he is on this team. One of the first things you have to address on the team is getting people to think rightly about themselves. If you have people going around thinking they are cut out to preach but they really belong in the sound booth then you have a problem. These words of Paul are pure wisdom from above when he says, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment...". When we hear the words, "It is not about you" that does not mean that you are not addressed in the God's Word, you just need a right opinion about yourself. You have to think of yourself with sober judgment. In a world gone wild about themselves the Word tell us to get sober on the subject of self. In Galatians, Paul is even more blunt when he says, "If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself." (Gal. 6:3). This new thinking has to be done by faith, the faith that only God has given us. Now Paul starts talking about the team, but not until he had dealt with the "self." Paul uses the analogy of the human body that is one, and yet each member of a human body (the eye, mouth etc.) has different functions. The vision of the church is for everyone to find their place and then serve in that place with their whole heart. What could be getting done in the name of the Lord if that vision was ever realized? Would you please dream with me to see more of this vision realized here at Crosspoint?

Weak things united become strong.

Proverb