July 27 | Romans 12:1-13

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DAILY READING

Romans 12:1-13

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REFLECTION

Listen to the Whisper

By Elaine Pierce

The Lord was not in the wind...the Lord was not in the earthquake.....the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper.... (I Kings 19:11-13)

Today's scripture is from Romans in the New Testament, but as I read it, I was reminded of when Elijah fled and ran for his life from Jezebel. He even asked God to take his life. As we know, God had other plans, and he sent angels to minister to him. Then he spoke to him - not with wind, not with an earthquake, not with fire - with a gentle whisper. He still had work for Elijah, and yes, he still has work for us.

Paul, the author of Romans, urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. He reminds us not to conform to the pattern of the world. but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind (v. 2). The world's pattern is awfully loud, isn't it? It shouts to us on TV, on social media, in our workplace. The call of the world is constant. It is attractive. It offers comfort, ease and wealth. Those are not evil things in and of themselves, but God wants so much more for us. And his good plan involves all of us using our gifts to build up the body.

Are you content with the gifts God has given you? Or do you sometimes wish you had different gifts? The older I get, I can see God's hand in how he created me, how he created each of us, to perfectly serve him. Paul's picture of the body of Christ, where we all have gifts to serve one another, is a beautiful image of what heaven will be like. In the meantime, dear friends, we serve, we teach, we encourage, we give, we lead, we show mercy and in so doing, we give honor and glory to God.

PRAYER

Lord, so often I want what I don't have, and I listen to the voices that tell me that my comfort, my ease is more important than serving you. Help me to lean on your word and to spend time with you, knowing that it is only through your grace that I will truly experience fulfillment. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ELAINE PIERCE

It is a delight and joy to write Sunday's UALC Blog post. I have been a UALC member for 20+ years and I value our community of believers. I draw strength from God's Word, and it is my hope that you join me in seeking to grow closer to Him as we read, study, and pray together. I've been married to Gene for 47 years, and we have four grown children and nine grandchildren. It is an exciting time to be alive, and I count it all joy to serve him, even in the midst of challenges. To God be the glory, for the great things he is doing!