Living Sacrifices to God

12 I abeseech 1you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies ba living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your 2reasonable service. 2 And cdo not be conformed to this world, but dbe transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may eprove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Serve God with Spiritual Gifts

3 For I say, fthrough the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, gnot to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt hto each one a measure of faith. 4 For ias we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so jwe, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is kgiven to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us lprophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; mhe who teaches, in teaching; 8 nhe who exhorts, in exhortation; ohe who gives, with liberality; phe who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, qwith cheerfulness.

Behave Like a Christian

9 rLet love be without hypocrisy. sAbhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 tBe kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, uin honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 vrejoicing in hope, wpatient 3in tribulation, xcontinuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 ydistributing to the needs of the saints, zgiven 4to hospitality.

14 aBless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 bRejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 cBe of the same mind toward one another. dDo not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

17 eRepay no one evil for evil. fHave 5regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, glive peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, hdo not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, i“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore

j“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

If he is thirsty, give him a drink;

For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but kovercome evil with good.

Submit to Government

13 Let every soul be asubject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists bthe authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will 1bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? cDo what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore dyou must be subject, not only because of wrath ebut also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 fRender therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Love Your Neighbor

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for ghe who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, h“You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” 2“You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, i“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore jlove is the fulfillment of the law.

Put on Christ

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time kto awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. lTherefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and mlet us put on the armor of light. 13 nLet us walk 3properly, as in the day, onot in revelry and drunkenness, pnot in lewdness and lust, qnot in strife and envy. 14 But rput on the Lord Jesus Christ, and smake no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.