A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(A)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, ^(B)to present your bodies ^(C)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^{[b] 2 (D)}Do not be conformed to this world,^[c] but be transformed by ^(E)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^(F)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[d]

Gifts of Grace

³ For ^(G)by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you ^(H)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, ^(I)each according to ^(J)the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For ^(K)as in one body we have many members,^[e] and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, ^(L)though many, ^(M)are one body in Christ, and individually ^(N)members one of another. ^6 (O)Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if ^(P)prophecy, ^(Q)in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if ^(R)service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; ^(S)the one who leads,^[f] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with ^(T)cheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

^9 (U)Let love be genuine. ^(V)Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ^10 (W)Love one another with brotherly affection. ^(X)Outdo one another in showing honor.

⁹ And it is my prayer that ^(A)your love may abound more and more, ^(B)with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, ^(C)and so be pure and blameless ^(D)for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled ^(E)with the fruit of righteousness that comes ^(F)through Jesus Christ, ^(G)to the glory and praise of God.

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom ^(A)every family^[a] in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to ^(B)the riches of his glory ^(C)he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit ^(D)in your inner being, ^17 (E)so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being ^(F)rooted and ^(G)grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to ^(H)comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and ^(I)height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ ^(J)that surpasses knowledge, that ^(K)you may be filled with all ^(L)the fullness of God.

^20 (M)Now to ^(N)him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, ^(O)according to the power at work within us, ^21 (P)to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.