How to serve God
1My Christian friends, God has been very kind to us. Because of that, I really want you to serve God with your whole life. Offer your bodies to him like a sacrifice that continues to live. Serve him with everything that you have and that will please him. That is the true way to worship God. 2Do not become like the people who belong to this world. But let God completely change the way that you think, so that you live differently. Then you will understand what God wants you to do. You will know what is good. You will know what pleases God. You will know what is completely right.
3God has been kind to me so that I can serve him. Because of that, I say this to every one of you: Do not think that you are better than you really are. Instead, think about yourself carefully. Decide how much God has helped you to trust him. Then you will know how to serve him well. 4Each part of our body works in a different way. But all the parts belong to our one body. 5In the same way, we are many people, but we all belong to Christ, like one body. We also belong to each other, like the different parts of one body belong to each other.
6God has been kind to us. He has given to each of us different gifts so that we can serve him. God helps some people to speak his messages clearly. Those people should trust God to tell them what to say. 7God helps some people to serve others. They should do that well. God helps some people to be able to teach others. Those people should teach well.
8If God has helped you to make others strong, then you should do that. If God has helped you to share your things with others, do that seriously. If God has helped you to be a leader, do that carefully. If God has helped you to be kind to others, do that happily.
Love people and help them
9Really love other people, not like a hypocrite. Hate anything that is bad. Continue to do things that are good. 10Love each other truly like brothers and sisters. Be really happy to respect other Christians. 11Do not be lazy, but always work hard. Serve the Lord well because you enjoy it. 12Be happy, because you can trust God to do what he says. Be patient when you have troubles. Always continue to pray. 13If any of God's people need anything, then help them with what you have. Always be happy to let people stay in your home.
14Ask God to bless people who cause trouble for you. Yes, ask him to be kind to them. Do not ask him to do bad things to them. 15If you are with someone who is happy, you should also be happy. If you are with someone who is sad, you should also be sad. 16Always try to agree and to be friends with each other. Do not be proud. Be friends with people who are not important. Do not think that you know everything.
17If someone has done bad things against you, do not do bad things back to them. Try to live in a good way so that people will respect you. They will see that you do good things. 18If it is possible, try always to be friends with other people.
19My friends, if someone has done bad things to you, do not try to punish them yourselves. Instead, let God be angry and punish them. This is what is written in the Bible:
‘The Lord God says,
“When people do something wrong,
I am the one who will punish them.
I will pay them back.” ’
20But the Bible also says this:
‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
If you help your enemy, he will become ashamed.
He will be sorry because of what he did to you.’
21Do not let evil things win against you! Instead, do good things. Then you will win against the evil things that people do.
