Day 8 | Body of Christ – Application

Read Romans 12

Romans 12 serves as a fitting companion for 1 Corinthians 12. In 1 Corinthians, Paul paints a clear picture of what the Body of Christ is, then in Romans, he communicates how the Body of Christ should behave. We are the will of God at work in the world, but what does that look like?

One of the most important things to remember about the will of God is He came into the world as a servant to save us and reconcile us to Himself. Philippians 2:7 says Jesus “emptied Himself… by sharing in human nature,” which was an act of humility. Humility is exactly what Paul encourages in Romans 12. We need to be humble in how we think of ourselves as members of Christ’s body. On one side, we don’t need to think too highly of ourselves, believing the world revolves around us or our place in God’s Kingdom is more prominent than it actually is. On the other side, however, we don’t need to dismiss the role God does want us to fill in His body. If God has equipped us to lead, we need to do that. If the Holy Spirit is moving in us to encourage others, we need to do that. However God has designed for us to serve, we need to be obedient and play our part. When we all work together in the roles God designed for us, we will see more people come to know Christ and have their lives transformed by Him.

We need to come to every day with the attitude Paul presents in Romans 12:1, willing to “present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice.” We should offer our lives to God for Him to use in whatever way He sees fit and encourage others to do the same. He wants to work in and through all of us, and we can be confident He will when we say “yes” to His plans.

Pray God will help you be bold to obey His leading.