Become Active in a Local Church
The most important aspect of finding God’s will for your life is finding where you fit in. God has made you unique with unique talents and desires. If you willingly submit to him, you will find your place in what He is trying to do. He takes unique people and puts them with other unique and talented people. He then directs them through His organization that is an organism of Christians all with one goal: that is to to bring God honor and glory. He wants you part of the amazing thing He is trying to do!
That is why the rest of Romans 12 is about how to act in Church!
Romans 12:4, 5 “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”
Again, what this is trying to teach a person is that God is giving you the talents to be a productive member of the church. God’s organization currently is the local church. Notice how this individuality in subjection to the church is brought out beautifully in the next few verses:
Romans 12:6, 7, 8 “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Or ministry, let us wait on our ministry: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.”
God, being the Genius that He is, has made the body of Christ up with all kinds of people with all kinds of skills, talents, weakness, and sins. He uses that group together to get His will done. What is His will? It is to get the good news of salvation to all the world. It is to allow us to bring Him glory. By doing this we find purpose, peace, happiness, and pleasure in this life. There is no greater thing to do than to serve others by serving God!
Notice a few things that are brought out in these verses. Again, the idea of a measure of faith is given. Here it is referred to as "according to the proportion of faith”. Also notice that these different abilities are referred to as "gifts differing”. The sooner a person realizes that they are an individual because God made them different but wants them to be part of the group, the sooner a person can find the will of God.
The rest of this chapter gives a lot of practical things of how a person in the perfect will of God should act.
Romans 12:9 “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”
The idea here is that love should be shown and not faked. It shouldn’t be just talked about and not acted upon. Some people are hard to love but the will of God is that He loves everybody. Some people excuse the command to love people by wrongly stating that God only shows his love on Calvary. That is a private interpretational excuse! God extends his love to the lowest of sinners by extending them time and grace to receive Jesus as their savior! Notice how this love is balanced out in this verse by the abhorrence of evil and cleaving to the good. This is where the saying “Love the sinner; hate the sin” comes from. Part of the will of God is found in Ephesians 4:15:
Ephesians 4:15 “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head even Christ:”
Love here is demonstrated by putting up with people as they grow in grace and knowledge!
More instructions of the will of God are given in Romans 12:10-21:
Romans 12:10-21 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love in honour preferring one another;
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengence is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
The last part of Romans 12 has good practical advice on how to conduct your life. These things have to do with developing your personality or spirit. I tell young, good-looking, people to not spend to much effort on how they look. One day their youth and vigor will be gone. If they develop a good personality, as demonstrated here, they will be pleasing to be around and will make lots of real friends who want to be around them. First you get saved by trusting Jesus as your savior, fall in love with Him, find the will of God for your life. Get immersed in it, and find satisfaction, peace, joy, and purpose!
How great is that!!!