One body

Romans 12:1-8 (TNIV) -

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship.

2 Do not conform 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.
3 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 faith God has distributed to each of you.4 For 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, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;

8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

My thoughts -

I have a nasty habit of simultaneously think too highly and too lowly of myself. If I were to look at myself with the "sober judgement" Paul is asking for here I would have to say that I am, not good, but very good at some things. I am a talented musician. I have dedicated the bulk of my life to playing guitar and know few people that can match my abilities that have both from natural talent and thousands of hours of work. Where I run into trouble, though, is when I value those gifts above or below others. When I allow myself to think of myself as being better or worse than others because of those gifts.

Am I offering myself, my ability to play guitar, my gifts as a musician, as a sacrifice to God in worship? Am I using those gifts as part of a larger body no more or less important than any other part?

We all have gifts. Are we using them together to worship God as one body?