Category: Living Sacrifices

Protect Unity

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 (NIV) God’s will is for you to believe in Jesus alone for salvation and to belong to His local body of believers known as the church. When you are saved you are adopted into God’s forever family and then you choose to connect with a local church where you can grow spiritually and serve faithfully. Every member is important. In God’s economy, every member of the local body of believers matters to God. God graces you with salvation and with spiritual gifts so that you can honor God and benefit the body of Christ. In Christ, we form one body. Every member has the responsibility to protect the unity of the body. Choose to diffuse gossip and infuse an attitude of gratitude throughout the body. Gossip is when you say something behind another person’s back that you would not say to their face. Flattery is when you say something to a person’s face that you would not say behind their back. Don’t glide into the gully of gossip. Protect the unity of the church you are connected to. Believe in Jesus and demonstrate the privilege and responsibility of belonging to Christ and His local body of believers. Testify of His redeeming love in your life and protect the unity of His local church by being intentional in your conversation and conduct. Sometimes protecting unity involves confronting others who are sowing discord. God empowers you to speak the truth in love. Don’t allow the weeds of this world to grow in the garden of God’s family. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Humility Living Sacrifices Pride

Practice Humility

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3 (NIV) Our tendency is to view ourselves from a distance and to view others under a microscope. Overestimating yourself leads to pride. Underestimating yourself leads to false humility. Make an accurate assessment of your current reality by using Jesus as your standard. The highway of happiness is paved with humility. Happiness and humility go together. Jesus modeled a life of humility by submitting to the Father’s agenda and by living to benefit others. In humility, Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross to provide for the forgiveness of our sins and to reconcile us back to God. Discover the haven of humility. Admit that you don’t have it all together. Admit that you haven’t arrived. Recognize that you haven’t learned all that God wants you to learn and you haven’t completed everything God wants you to do. Make an accurate assessment of yourself before a holy God in light of His holiness. “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Rom. 12:3 (NIV) “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Col. 3:12 (NIV) Give up your kingdom so you can inherit God’s kingdom! Clothe yourself with humility. You cannot live the life God has for you without His supernatural enablement. His power comes to you through the doorway of humility. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Living Sacrifices Renew Transformation

Renew and Render

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (NIV) There is an immense gravitational pull to succumb to the allurements of the world. We combat the pattern of this world, the flaming arrows of the evil one, and the cravings of the flesh. Choosing to conform to the path of worldliness dilutes our spiritual passion and distorts our spiritual focus. We will bypass God’s best for us. We will forfeit God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will. God gives us the freedom to choose our path. We do not have to travel down the lane of lust or the highway of hostility or the sidewalk of selfishness. Floating down the river of culture and allowing the current of compromise to corrode our character is not God’s will for us. God did not sacrifice His only Son in order for us to drift into sin. Renew your mind by replacing sin with Scripture, by replacing falsehood with truth, and by replacing self-centeredness with Christlikeness. Scrape off the peeling paint of improper thinking and apply the fresh paint of God’s Holy Word. Your life is too valuable to allow corrupt thinking to occupy your mind. God’s plan for your life is too important to waste another moment allowing toxic thoughts to contaminate your mind. Unload your mind! Make room for God’s Word to take full possession of your mind. Make a commitment to feed on God’s Word daily. Seek to memorize a verse each week, internalize that verse, and then align your thinking with that verse. Renew your mind and render your transformation. Let God control your thinking. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Living Sacrifices Mercy Motivation

Motivation from God

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1 (NIV) Where would we be without God’s mercy? The mercy we have received from God motivates us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. His mercy is our motivation. God became like us so that we could become like Him. In His mercy, God allowed us to experience the forgiveness of our sins and He replaced our unrighteousness with the righteousness of Christ. Apart from God’s mercy, we have nothing to offer. Think about that for a moment. The only way we can fulfill our spiritual act of worship as living, holy, and pleasing sacrifices is by receiving and reciprocating God’s mercy. Only the redeemed can present a living sacrifice. God’s mercy makes us fit for that service. What we have to offer God through our spiritual act of worship is packaged in God’s mercy. The marvelous mercy of God embodies His love, grace, kindness, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, righteousness, faith, justification, sanctification, and glorification. God’s mercy is displayed by what we have received from God as revealed in Romans 1-11. God’s mercy is demonstrated by what we choose to give to God in response to His mercy as revealed in Romans 12-16. Do you offer your body as a living, holy, and pleasing sacrifice to God? This is the spiritual act of worship that God’s mercy makes possible. Identify what you have received from God. Celebrate your identity in Christ and the eternal security you have in Christ. Rejoice in the reality of your personal and eternal relationship with Christ. Keep God’s mercy in view and be consistent in offering your body as a living sacrifice to honor God and to benefit others. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Living Sacrifices Mercy Motivation

Motivation from God

Division Living Sacrifices Unity

Protect Unity

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 (NIV) God’s will is for you to believe in Jesus alone for salvation and to belong to His local body of believers known as the church. When you are saved you are adopted into God’s forever family and then you choose to connect with a local church where you can grow spiritually and serve faithfully. Every member is important. In God’s economy, every member of the local body of believers matters to God. God graces you with salvation and with spiritual gifts so that you can honor God and benefit the body of Christ. In Christ, we form one body. Every member has the responsibility to protect the unity of the body. Choose to diffuse gossip and infuse an attitude of gratitude throughout the body. Gossip is when you say something behind another person’s back that you would not say to their face. Flattery is when you say something to a person’s face that you would not say behind their back. Don’t glide into the gully of gossip. Protect the unity of the church you are connected to. Believe in Jesus and demonstrate the privilege and responsibility of belonging to Christ and His local body of believers. Testify of His redeeming love in your life and protect the unity of His local church by being intentional in your conversation and conduct. Sometimes protecting unity involves confronting others who are sowing discord. God empowers you to speak the truth in love. Don’t allow the weeds of this world to grow in the garden of God’s family. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Humility Living Sacrifices Pride

Practice Humility

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3 (NIV) Our tendency is to view ourselves from a distance and to view others under a microscope. Overestimating yourself leads to pride. Underestimating yourself leads to false humility. Make an accurate assessment of your current reality by using Jesus as your standard. The highway of happiness is paved with humility. Happiness and humility go together. Jesus modeled a life of humility by submitting to the Father’s agenda and by living to benefit others. In humility, Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross to provide for the forgiveness of our sins and to reconcile us back to God. Discover the haven of humility. Admit that you don’t have it all together. Admit that you haven’t arrived. Recognize that you haven’t learned all that God wants you to learn and you haven’t completed everything God wants you to do. Make an accurate assessment of yourself before a holy God in light of His holiness. “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3 (NIV) “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Col 3:12 (NIV) Give up your kingdom so you can inherit God’s kingdom! Clothe yourself with humility. You cannot live the life God has for you without His supernatural enablement. His power comes to you through the doorway of humility. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Living Sacrifices Renew Transformation

Renew and Render

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (NIV) There is an immense gravitational pull to succumb to the allurements of the world. We combat the pattern of this world, the flaming arrows of the evil one, and the cravings of the flesh. Choosing to conform to the path of worldliness dilutes our spiritual passion and distorts our spiritual focus. We will bypass God’s best for us. We will forfeit God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will. God gives us the freedom to choose our path. We do not have to travel down the lane of lust or the highway of hostility or the sidewalk of selfishness. Floating down the river of culture and allowing the current of compromise to corrode our character is not God’s will for us. God did not sacrifice His only Son in order for us to drift into sin. Renew your mind by replacing sin with Scripture, by replacing falsehood with truth, and by replacing self-centeredness with Christlikeness. Scrape off the peeling paint of improper thinking and apply the fresh paint of God’s Holy Word. Your life is too valuable to allow corrupt thinking to occupy your mind. God’s plan for your life is too important to waste another moment allowing toxic thoughts to contaminate your mind. Unload your mind! Make room for God’s Word to take full possession of your mind. Make a commitment to feed on God’s Word daily. Seek to memorize a verse each week, internalize that verse, and then align your thinking with that verse. Renew your mind and render your transformation. Let God control your thinking. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Living Sacrifices Mercy Motivation