The text for this morning sermon is found in Romans chapter 12, the first 8 verses.

I urge you, therefore, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God,

which is your spiritual service of worship.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove

what is the will of God that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more

highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ,

and individually members one of another.

And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise

them accordingly.

If prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith, if service in his serving, or he who teaches in his teaching, or he

who exhorts in his exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy with

cheerfulness.

If you were God and knew that you had all the power and all the right to put a level of faith into people that was just where you wanted it and give them all the grace

they needed and to give them all the gifts they needed and if you had the will to perfect them and make their faith great,

wouldn't you just do it? Wouldn't you just on a straight line take people where they are and perfect them and get it done and move them beyond their imperfections just like that?

If you could, wouldn't you?

So like my asking Benjamin the other night, I said,

don't you think, Ben, that, uh,

you ought to go bed earlier tonight, big day tomorrow.

I think if I were you, I'd try to get more sleep tonight.

And he said, well, that's just another reason why you're not me.

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