Romans 12:1-2 The Passion Translation (TPT)
The Transforming Power of the Gospel
12 “Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.
2 Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”
Imagine if you are in a library with rows of shelves. You cannot begin reading all the books at the same time. If you try, you’ll likely end up in a pile dust and pages and having made no more progress, then if you spent the day staring at the clouds or your own navel. Instead, you are left to take one book down at a time and leave the rest on the shelf. Perhaps arranging them in the order you will read.
In the same way you can only choose one book at time, let the Holy Spirit prioritize what is important for this moment and this time. The lie is that it must all be done today or worse, yesterday. We are commanded “Do not worry” and are gently directed by the Spirit to one thing at a time. “Do not worry” about how anyone else does it. It’s is not about comparison. It is about peace of mind and with that you are able to focus and do your best work.
Start with the first book the spirit gives you even if its from the children’s section. One step, book, discussion, position, relationship, at a time and only God knows where your life will lead – but I do know you will go further than you can imagine.
by IB