God's Word for Me Today
Saturday, September 29, 2001
Focus: Our Mission: One Person at a Time
A note about online study
Introduction to God's Word for Me Today
One Person at a Time
This week we focus on the phrase in our mission statement: “one person at a time.” This is what makes our mission statement real and personal: Sharing the new life of Jesus Christ with the world—one person at a time. Jesus came to save the world. God so loved the world that he gave His only Son. But that salvation and our sharing of it with others takes place one person at a time. In our recent national disaster ALL of us were impacted, thousands lost their lives, but each one of us feel the impact—one person at a time. While our nation must turn to God in prayer, while the whole world still needs the salvation Jesus offers more than ever, it is one person at a time that we offer our prayers, and receive salvation. One of the mysteries of our faith in Jesus Christ is that while we who bear the name of Jesus are the “body” of Jesus Christ, and our goal is to be the local expression of that body in and through New Life Christian Ministries, it is EACH individual part of that body, which has been given gifts and ministries for the building up of the WHOLE body. We need to emphasize the world, and the wholeness of the body of Jesus Christ, and at the same time, each individual person and member is vitally, infinitely important to Jesus Christ!
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, today may You impress on my heart how much you love me and each individual person on this planet. When I think of the billions of people around the world, it is hard to imagine that You know each one of us by name, that You number the individual hairs on all our heads and You love each one of us beyond measure. May I, too, receive the indwelling presence of Your Holy Spirit that I may love and serve others—and share Your Good News with them, one person at a time. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen
God's Word for Me Today: Romans 12:1-8
1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.
3As God’s messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. 4Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.
6God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. 8If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Questions for Reflection
If you could have any skill or ability, what would you want it to be?
What is your greatest asset as a person?
What is the most significant thing you have ever done in your life to this point?
Questions for Exploration
What is Paul’s call for the Christian to do as a result of God’s great love for us? (12:1-3)
What are the two challenges Paul gives each Christian in verses 3-5?
What individual gifts and abilities has God given Christians in order to build up the body of Jesus Christ and share His new life with the world?
Questions for Understanding
What does it mean to present ourselves to God as a “living” sacrifice?
What is the significance of being part of the Body of Jesus Christ, and having been gifted with a spiritual gift within that body? KEY VERSE
Look again at the specific spiritual gifts that Paul lists, what gift(s) has God given you?
Questions for Application
What one thing will you do to renew your mind today?
Do you know your spiritual gift(s)? If not, how will you get to know what they are? How will you practice them today (or as soon as you find out what they are)?
Each of the gifts is given to be used extravagantly! Commit to God in prayer to use your gifts extravagantly in His service today!
Using Our Gifts to Reach One Person at a Time!
God has a wonderful plan to reach one person at a time with the new life Jesus came to bring—you and me! That’s right, God calls each one of us to reach other people one at a time. Through giving us special spiritual gifts and abilities, God equips us to share his love, grace and forgiveness with one person at a time. Our opportunities may come at home, work, school, community or around the world, but of this we may be sure: we will have opportunities to share the new life of Jesus Christ with one person daily.
The key to using these gifts is offered to us in the first three verses of Romans 8—we must live our lives as “sacrifices” to God. That means that we must give ourselves away. The amazing paradox of the life in Jesus Christ is that when we give ourselves away two wonderful things happen—we find ourselves, and others receive the new life! It’s so simple and yet so vital. We think that one day God will give us a great opportunity to bring a whole group to Him. That may be true, but not unless we are faithfully giving ourselves away in the daily occurrences of life. Find ONE person today and give yourself away for them to God’s glory!
To view the studies for other days, visit the God's Word for Me Today calendar.