Journey

 Scripture Read.  1 Corinthians 12 Thought Applied.  Very similar to Romans 12 1-8.  All of us have an important part to play in the body of Christ.  Many are physical, but many are also gifts from the Spirit. Application Made.  Eagerly desire the greater gifts.  All can do some.  Few can do all.   Response Prayer.

 Scripture Read. Romans 12: 1-8   Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.   2  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.   Humble Service in the Body of Christ  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 faith God has distributed to each of you.   4  For 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, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.   6 ...

God, I've been out on the sea of life now for over 58 years.  Sitting here on this calm clear night, I reflect upon your majesty and creation.  I can see nothing for miles, but I don't feel lost.  I don't feel anxious.  I feel calm and at ease.  Although I know I am upon the water, the clarity of the stars reflected in the calm waters around make me feel as if I'm afloat in the heavens. But it's a misleading sensation. When I view over the edge of my small boat, I see the stars and I see me.  I know that if I took one step off the side, I would be in a world of unseen dangers.  Or, I may just be wet. Still, a life upon the sea is not for everyone.  Once you leave sight of shore, your sea trials begin.  On the sea of life your craft is tested for how fast it can go, and paradoxically, how fast it can stop.  Is it sturdy?  Can it endure?  Or will spend too much in port?  How well does it maneuver?   My life is like...

 What is the essential cargo that should be included?   Open-mind.  Willingness to change in order to grow.  Like-minded friends and family What non-essential cargo should be excluded? Contrary friends and family.  Old habits, especially those that do not conform to the me I wish to become. What are you overburdened with, i.e. what should be thrown overboard?  Problems I cannot solve.  Regrets I cannot undo/unlive.   ________________ What am I doing (or not doing) that is keeping me from capturing the Spirit of God?  Am I my own worst enemy?  Or am I my best friend?  Am I helping to build a better me, or is my nature self-destructive? Are you missing His power? Are you missing this great benefit as His child?

 "Fruit" is a metaphor for a successful, productive life. John 15:16, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go bear fruit - fruit that will last."  When we say "last", what are we saying?  Not perishing?  Outlast you?  Perhaps.  But something that at least has the potential to last a lifetime.  Nothing I can build or create can last.  Everything rusts and falls apart.  Moths eat, etc...  But helping someone determine their destiny - especially a destiny with Christ - that is a fruit that will last.