i'm a transformer...

Romans 12:1-8

Observe:
Key words: mercy, living sacrifices, one body, gifts.
Paul contrasts conforming to this world with being transformed and he compares a physical body with the spiritual body of Christ. This is very vivid word picture where the one body with many members compares to the one church with many unique individuals. This passage contains a list of spiritual gifts: prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership, mercy.
I also notice that when Paul talks about the gifts, he adds some qualifiers to the last three: give generously, lead diligently, show mercy cheerfully.

Interpret:
Connecting words: Therefore (v. 1) connecting back to 11:29-32 which is a discussion on God's mercy (Paul makes sure we get this connecting by reinforcing it: "in view of God's mercy..."). Then (v.2) indicates that the logical flow is: after your spiritual transformation you will be able to know the will of God.
In my own words:
Because God has had mercy on us we should respond by offering our whole lives to him. This involves not conforming to the world's ideas but being completely transformed by a new way of thinking. One of the new ways we'll have to think is about ourselves: we shouldn't be involved in self-promotion but recognize that the gifts we have been given have been given to us by God and they don't make us any better or worse than anyone else and that we are all part of the same Body, working for the same goal; the glory of God. We shouldn't be concerned about the gifts that we don't have but use our gifts in accordance with the faith God has given us.

Apply:
I know that I am still trapped in a worldly way of thinking and that I need my mind to be renewed daily and more completely. I still am intrigued by all the things I may have missed out on because of my decision to follow Jesus: drinking, sex, parties, etc. I need to focus instead on all the things I have in Christ.
I also still struggle with how to think about myself. I know that God has given me some good gifts and I love to use them but the sinful side of me loves to get noticed using them. I need to remember that my gift of teaching does not make me any better than anyone else. I need to remember that I am to use my gift not for my own glory but for the benefit of the Body and for the glory of God.
This passage tells me that God is very just and the master planner - he knew what each person needs in the time period in which they live to accomplish his plan for this world and so he gave each person the gift necessary to fulfill the purpose for which he created them and to do the job that he has assigned to them. This is an incredible mind!