An R12 Believer’s Commitments

Romans 12:1 (NIV), “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

At the beginning of the R12 series, author Chip Ingram tells us that being an R12 believer is all about relationships. He ends the study by telling us it is impossible to be R12 believers because he wants to safeguard us into thinking we can be R12 believers in and of ourselves. When we think that it’s in and of ourselves, we can be tempted to be boastful and legalistic about being an R12 believer. It’s impossible to be an R12 believer—unless the Holy Spirit comes in and shows us how to do it.

Three commitments that will help you continue the R12 journey:

A Commitment to God

• We have to be a living sacrifice— daily submitting ourselves to what God wants us to do.
• Commit to transform your thinking by getting into the Word of God. There is no shortcut to transformation. We have to be very deliberate about what we set our minds on, taking note of the posture of our thoughts.

“When you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, that’s done. Anything that doesn’t line up with the Word, you have to reject.” — Min. Michelle Jackson

A Commitment to Self (Romans 12:3)

• There is a level that God has for us to think about ourselves and it is what He thinks about us. We have to keep ourselves in alignment and in check. This is a commitment of checking yourself. You have to take an honest and real look at yourself. People will sometimes volunteer to check you.
• There is no human being on this earth that knows you better than you know yourself, but the Holy Spirit knows you better. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit, our helper. We start getting out of alignment, but we have to be courageous enough to say, “God, I’m out of alignment.”
• The Holy Spirit will begin to check you from the inside out. We miss the mark when we begin to check ourselves against others. We need to check ourselves by the Word of God.
• We check ourselves by staying in our lane. We honor God when we operate in our gifts. Stay in your lane, find your gift, and flourish.

There are no pew potatoes—you don’t honor God when you sit in the pew.”—Min. Michelle Jackson

A Commitment to Service (Romans 12:9-21)

• Love is the key to a commitment to service. You cannot serve people without love. We commit to serve believers and non-believers. Serving believers must happen in authentic community. A genuine love will flow. We have to be committed to service.
• We cannot seek revenge nor retaliation. As we make this commitment, we must learn to respond and not react. When we react, we don’t think. When we respond, we allow God to show us how to act. We must remain consistent.

“If I stay in this Word—I’ll remain consistent.”—Min. Michelle Jackson