Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Monday, 16 June 2014 "To do God’s work, be transformed, not conformed"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Monday, 16 June 2014 "To do God’s work, be transformed, not conformed"
Daily Scripture: Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
Reflection Questions:
The apostle Paul set a high standard for the way Christians go about our daily lives. Our “appropriate service” to God, he wrote to the Christians in Rome, is to offer ourselves as a "living sacrifice." It was true in his day, as in ours, that that approach to life was not a part of the culture’s "common sense." To live it out would take inner transformation, not conformity to the world’s values and practices.
In the ancient world, most people had made a sacrifice to some god. That usually meant killing an animal in the right temple or shrine. If that were your background, how would you need to shift your thinking and acting to respond to Paul’s call to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice"? In what ways are you willing to put yourself, your life, "on the altar" to live daily for God?
Sooner or later, when we let God transform us we ourselves become agents of transformation. In our homes, schools, neighborhoods or workplaces, we begin to see things that aren't quite as they should be. What steps, large or small, have you taken to transform attitudes or practices in your settings? Where might you have the chance now to transform things for the better?
Today's Prayer:
Dear God, I offer myself to you. That’s a little scary—I'm not always sure just where it might lead. But I’m learning to trust you, and so I commit myself to being a "living sacrifice" offered to you. Amen.
Insight from Kersee Currier
Kersee Currier is serving as an intern in the Communications Department at The Church of the Resurrection this summer. Kersee is a student at Pittsburg State University.
Sports fans, more specifically soccer fans, find the World Cup is beginning to take over our time. As fans we watch as teams battle on the field to make it one step closer to the championship. Of course, the end goal of World Cup is to become the best of the best and be known as the World Cup champions. This tournament is just starting for soccer fans, but for the players this is more of the end. Soccer professionals from all around the world have been training and planning for this moment for years. Most of the players competing in the tournament have spent countless hours of their time training, running faster, completing drills quicker, and becoming more physically fit. Individually, it could’ve been a goal for players who strived to be called up for their country’s World Cup team. Players sacrifice their time, energy, and bodies for this moment. But their reason for doing it isn’t for themselves, but for their team and country.
All the soccer players in the tournament have one thing in common–they love the game, and they want to represent their country. When they train together they push each other to be better. In training and games they sacrifice their bodies to make a connecting pass, defend a goal, or to make a goal. Here is the thing–their sacrifice is based on love of country, and love of the game.
The living sacrifice we should give to God has to be based on love. I choose to represent Christ by living in his new hope daily. This may falter from day to day but it’s still my daily choice. This love can be revealed through how we use our resources, time, energy, efforts. When I find myself giving to a charity because I have spare money and I know it’s the right thing to do, I’ll feel good about it for a moment, then forget it. When I donate my time because I love Jesus and I know he is changing lives where I’m spending my time, it changes my life. I’m not saying don’t donate money, but I am saying a truly living sacrifice should be rooted in love.
I’m fortunate to have been on three mission trips, but my first mission trip is a memory I will always cherish because it taught me what sacrifice looks like for me. My first mission trip was to Louisiana. My goal for going on this trip was to hang out with friends, but I was on a team with people I didn’t travel with. God led me to a group of people who would show me what it truly means to “offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.” The family my team was able to help probably helped me more than I helped them. I sacrificed by painting their house. Yes, it was hot and I got paint everywhere. This family was abundant in God’s love so when they offered us food, shade, conversation, and prayer those meant more to me because I was able to learn what God’s heart looks like through their actions. My Louisiana mission trip experience has transformed my heart to make me want to serve daily through my actions. I will continue to serve on different mission teams or volunteer projects locally, different parts of the country and in foreign countries. Sacrifice means loving people constantly. Putting our bodies on the altar means living with new hope everyday so people can see God’s light within us through our actions.
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