I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if 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; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12)

Here we see Grace works in conjunction with the people of God.  The question is: "How can we as followers of Christ, from all sorts of different backgrounds and experiences, come together and help each other live out the life of Christ in a world that does not think the way He does?" First, we must all want Him to rule and reign; we must all submit to His reign as Lord, to say sincerely and repeated: "I belong to You, Jesus". Second, we must all allow Him to change us, individually and corporately, beginning in the way we think.  Part of this change in thinking is to get over our self-centered and self-justifying thinking - to allow Him to transform our minds into Christlike servanthood, believing that God in His grace wants to give us what is best for us, and He wants to use us for what is best for those around us - especially those in the family of God.  Paul had been shown God's grace, and as a result was chosen by God to speak to them as God's ambassador. So he says: that's what I am doing, by God's grace. You all need to do the same thing: allow God to do in you what you cannot do on your own: serving, teaching, leading, looking around you at who needs help and finding a creative way to give it.  When we all come at life and church from that perspective, we help each other live out the grace of God. Today, let us ask God, by His grace, to see ourselves and each other differently, and by His grace to do what He has called us to do with our lives, in His Church, and for those around us.