Serving the Body
Scripture Reading — Romans 12:1-8
If your gift is … serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach …
Romans 12:6-7
Paul’s urging to offer our bodies as living sacrifices is based on Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for our sake. Living sacrifices serve because they’re followers of Jesus, who served by giving his life. Yet, as a pessimist put it, “The problem with living sacrifices is that they’re always crawling off the altar.” Being a living sacrifice, with Christ as our supreme example, calls for sincere commitment to serve faithfully and not give up.
Healthy family life means serving the members of the family by doing whatever we do best. Healthy church life means serving fellow members of the body of believers with the gifts God has entrusted to us. It means valuing service to one another because together we form a body belonging to God and to each other. Paul put it simply: “Each member belongs to all the others.”
Using the words of a great teaching document, we say, “My ‘only comfort in life and in death’ is ‘that
I … belong … to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ’” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 1). When we realize that we belong to our faithful Savior, who gives us new life in place of certain destruction, we are inspired to teach, encourage, and serve in all we do. We are called to use our gifts “according to the grace given to each of us.” We should also express our gratitude and our appreciation to those who give service to us.
Giver of gifts, thank you for opportunities to serve each other. Open our eyes to see where we’re needed, and empower us to serve Jesus by serving others in his name. Amen.
About the author — George Vink
Pastor George Vink has served as a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church for more than 30 years in British Columbia, Montana, Michigan, and California. He and his wife, Shirley, have four married sons and nine grandchildren.
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