Romans for Greeks

a note to our new freshmen

Well, you've been away for a few weeks now. For some of you, it's felt like a rush of freedom and excitement, while for others this has been a pretty awkward transition. Regardless of what your experience has been, I can guarantee you it's going to prove to have been one of the most formative years of your life. We've missed you and we hope you've been able to find a good church home away from home. I'm writing to you today because I think there's a good chance some of you already have regrets and I want to be there for you. Don't worry, I'm not going to Spiderman you with the "Great Responsibility" speech. I'm also not going to tell you this is your chance to get it all out before you have to buckle down and get serious. Guilt is a terrible inspiration and stupidity is not seasonal. I'm just going to remind you of a few things out of Romans 12:1-2 and pray that you'll be encouraged by them.

1.) You are bound for failure. That just happened; I just said something I'm not supposed to say. But I want this to be an encouragement for you. If you are scared to death of failing, brace yourself: it's going to happen sometimes, and you are going to come out the other side of it. Better, in fact, because redemption is a beautiful thing and it leaves no room for regrets. If this fact doesn't surprise you, then you know that there's no reason to go out looking for opportunities to flop: they will hunt you down. Listen guys, the pressure is off. You have no one to please but your Father, and His desire is that you trust Him to redeem you. That's not an excuse to live like an idiot; it's an opportunity to live free of shame. Romans 12 begins by telling us that all we do is in view of God's mercy. He starts with mercy because the fact that you're going to need it is unavoidable. Don't you dare ever be afraid to come to God. Mercy is where our life with Him begins.

2.) You can't do what you want to do. That may be confusing to you because that's exactly what you've been doing for the past several weeks: whatever you feel like, gosh. But allow me to remind you that your life is hidden with Christ and it is no longer you who lives but Christ in you. That's a true sacrifice, it really is. You have things you want to do and you finally have the freedom to do them. That's why now more than ever you need to be reminded that you are not your own. Remember that this is not a guilt trip. It's up to you to decide whether or not to make the sacrifice and to do so freely. I'm just reminding you of what you already know.

3.) You can't be anything you want to be. You have strengths and you have weaknesses. You may be trying really hard to reinvent yourself and some of that can be really healthy, but rest assured, your personality doesn't really change between the years of 3 and 103. The sooner you accept that you have limits, the less time you will waste pursuing vanities. You know who you are and what you love and what you're good at. I'm not over here trying to be a running back or a point guard. I'm a pudgy white bookish midget. You have a desire to be something better and that's a good thing. But God didn't intend for you to chase that desire by rearranging yourselves until the pretty parts are on the outside and the ugly parts safely hidden away on the inside. You are not Optimus Prime. He wants you to pursue transformation by the renewing of your minds. That's done by pursuing truth. You want to change; I know you do. And I'm telling you the only change that matters comes from knowing God and His will.

" Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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."