Romans 12:2-12
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
There are so many voices right now. Voices of fear, of anxiety, of judgement, and the list goes on. They can sometimes be so loud, it can be hard to find quiet. The voices can be the thoughts in our heads, or the pundits on the news, or even our “friends” on social media! The voices can be anywhere. The scripture tells us we need to “renew our minds” so that we can better “discern the will of God.”
So, how do we renew our minds in the midst of all the noise of all these voices? Well, how about prayer? How about meditation? The last three words of this passage are “persevere in prayer.” I think that’s how we can best renew our minds. We can love one another and serve the Lord!
It may seem hard to do that in this time of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, but it can be done. Have you called and checked in with family and friends? Have you reached out to see how you can pray for one another? I think in this time, this is the best way to show love and serve the Lord. Share the hope of friendship, the hope that we are all in this together, the hope that too shall pass and we will get to be with one another again. Be patient in this time and find ways to stay healthy – physically, mentally and spiritually. And Yes, persevere in prayer for one another and for the world.
We can do this! Rejoice in Hope! Be patient in suffering. And Persevere in Prayer!
Loving God,
Thank you for this time we have to focus on and grow in our faith. Help us to be present with one another in new ways. Let us Rejoice in the Hope we have in you and let us share that hope with others.
In your holy and precious name we pray. Amen.
Simply Sherri 
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