Find Your Place in the Body

by Dennis Nosal

Romans 12:1 "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God , to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."
Just as God expected a sacrifice under the Law, he expects us to provide a living sacrifice today. In the days of the Law, God expected a burnt sacrifice from man. Even though we are living under grace, He still expects us to provide a sacrifice. Now the sacrifice is a living sacrifice of our lives devoted to service to Him. When we deliver that living sacrifice it's important to know that God expects more from us than just an obligatory service. He expects us to joyfully, out of the abundance of our hearts and with eagerness, seek out ways we can serve Him. We see in I Samuel 15:22 that God wants our service to be from the heart. Samuel said,
"Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams."
Romans 12:4 "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function."
God has blessed all of us with an abundance of special and unique talents and gifts. Our response to God's love should be a burning desire to identify those talents within and to use those talents to glorify our Savior. As one body we should work together to mold our talents into one functioning body with every member having an important role in the glorifying of our Savior. For this reason, everyone should be encouraged to search within themselves to find those God-given talents and to put them to use in His kingdom.
What happens if you don't use some part of your body? It wastes away. When you do begin to use it, it doesn't function properly and it's painful. The body of Christ is the same way. Each one of us should be an active functioning part of the body. Each member has unique gifts that are equally important to the healthy functioning of the body. I encourage all of us to examine ourselves for our God-given talents and use them in Mt. Juliet. Grab the SOS booklet and find your place in service to God. If you're having a little

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