Romans 12:6-8 (The Message)
If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
Romans 12 is probably one of the best known chapters in the Bible, due to verse 1-2, but today, I would like to have a look at verse 6-8.
Paul gives us some great tips here on how to do what we do, and how to do it well.
I love the section that tells us not to get bossy when we give encouraging guidance. I think I love this though, due to the fact that I have a very dominating personality, and I can get bossy very quickly. There is only two ways to do something, right and wrong, and do not dare to take option 2. 
Now, during the last couple of years, I have had to learn to overcome a lot of my mannerisms such as this, due to the fact that I had to realise that I am not the only person in the world, and I hurt people close to me quite easily with being this way.
I have definitely not mastered this, but with the grace of God, and His guidance, I have been able to assess a situation much better, and I truly believe that I am getting there as far as this goes.
I also like the section in this scripture, that if you teach, stick to your teaching. So many people these days, have learned the slogan of do what I say, and not what I do, but if you look at children, you will notice that they do what you do. Having a little girl of 19 months opens ones’ eyes to this fact very easily, as she is starting to speak now and you have to be extremely careful at what you say around her. I love this fact, strangely enough, just because it keeps you on your toes.
Now, through the grace of God, may we all be challenged by this scripture today, and really go out and apply it in our daily lives.
