"Who Will Deliver Me?

" week 6 in a study with the book of Romans

Romans 12: 1-8 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrice, holy and pleasing to Godthis is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform 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 Gods will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Commentary Verse 1: *God has shown his great love to them all. So they should be grateful. If they have the right attitude, then they will think rightly about themselves. This will make a difference in relationships and life. Paul uses the idea of a priest who offers a *sacrice. (Leviticus 1:3, 9) *Christians must offer their bodies as a sacrice. Paul is not writing about death, but explaining how Christians should live in this world. Verse 2: *Christians must also change the way that they think. The word change is the same word that describes the change in Jesus body when he showed his glory to the three apostles (Mark 9:2). *Christians should not copy the world. What Christians think will affect what they do - words have power and are part of our faith. Verse 3 God had shown his grace to Paul, so that he became an apostle and now speaks with authority. He tells Christians to think properly about their skills. They must not be proud or think that they are better than others. They should not be impatient or want to be what they are not - we shouldn't envy one another for our gifts. Verses 4-5 Paul uses the illustration of the human body. All the different parts are important. In the same way, all members of a Christian church are not only unique but must work together. People may have a variety of skills, but if the efforts are not in cooperation, then chaos takes over. No gift is useful if it is not used properly - and in the proper time. (Anti DesCartes model and phliosophy!) Verses 6-8 Christians should be humble because their skills come from God - it is not them. Then Paul gives 7 examples of special skills that Christians may use. He mentions other special skills in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and in Ephesians chapter 4. They are interdependent and also need developing! A skill is not given without having to learn and develop good ways to use it - many skills can be misused if not honed and practiced. Our learning takes all of our lives. No shortcuts.

Notes: *When were on our best behavior, humans ability to control our impulses is great. But we may use our brains to give ourselves permission to act irrationally. *Our prefrontal cortex is good at self-control. It can also rationalize bad decisions and promise well be better tomorrow. *Many of our problems with temptation and procrastination come back to one uniquely human problem: how we think about the future. *Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert has made the bold claim that humans are the only species to think about the future. The problem is not that we can foresee a future, but that we cannot see it clearly. *Economists call this delay discounting the longer you have to wait for a reward, the less it is worth to you. We take what we want when we want it (now), and we put off until tomorrow what we dont want. *Behavioral economists call this the problem of bounded rationality were rational when everything is in theory, but when the temptation is real, the brain shifts to reward-seeking mode so we dont miss out. *Our brains reward system did not evolve to respond to future rewards. Food was the reward systems original target - we needed to ensured that we snapped up rewards when they were available to live. *When our modern selves contemplate immediate versus future rewards, the brain processes these two options very differently. The immediate reward triggers the older, more primitive reward system. *The good news is, temptation has a narrow window of opportunity. To really overwhelm our prefrontal cortex, the reward must be available now, and for maximum effect you need to see it. As soon as there is any distance between you and the temptation, the power of balance shifts back to the brains system of self-control. *Use the 10 minute rule: Ten minutes might not seem like much time

to wait for something you want, but neuroscientists have discovered that it makes the difference. When immediate gratication comes with a mandatory ten-minute delay, the brain treats it like a future reward. *A delay (the candy jar challenge) strengthens your over all will power. *While its human nature to "discount" future rewards, everyone has a different discount rate. Some people keep the big reward in mind and wait for it. Others cannot resist the promise of immediate gratication. How big your discount rate is turns out to be a major determinant of your long-term health and success. *Fortunately, a persons discount rate can be lowered just by changing how you think about your choices. The reward you start with is the one you want to keep. *You can use this to resist immediate gratication: 1. When you are tempted to act against your long-term interests, frame the choice as giving up the best possible long-term reward for whatever the immediate gratication is. 2. Imagine that long-term reward as already yours. Imagine your future self enjoying the fruits of your self-control. 3. Then ask yourself: Are you willing to give that up in exchange for whatever eeting pleasure is tempting you now? *When the explorer Cortez needed to get his soldiers to ght, even when outnumbered - he used the classic: He set their ships on re so there was no escape. No Plan B. No safety net. *This is a precommitment - you are committed to the goal so you don't need an alternative. Limit your options! *We treat our future selves like different people due to our inability to access our future selves thoughts and feelings. *Is it always better to delay gratication? Some people have a difcult time choosing current happiness over future rewards. This is hyperopia. They can't enjoy or accept the gifts of today.

WEEK 6

Willpower challenge 1: Ask yourself what future rewards do you put on sale each time you give in to temptation or procrastination. What is the immediate payoff for giving in? What is the long-term cost? Is this a fair trade? If the rational you says, No, its a lousy deal! try to catch the moment you reverse your preferences. What are you thinking and feeling that lets you put the future on sale? Willpower challenge 2: Ten minutes might not seem like much time to wait for something you want, but neuroscientists have discovered that it makes a big difference in how the brain processes a reward. Wait ten minutes before making a difcult or tempting choice. Willpower challenge 3: 1. Create a new default. Make choices in advance and from a clear distance, before your future self is blinded by temptation. 2. Make it more difcult to reverse your preferences. Like Corts burning his ships, nd a way to eliminate the easiest route to giving in. 3. Motivate your future self. There is no shame in using a carrot or a stick to nudge yourself toward long-term health and happiness. Find a reward for staying on track- "if you do something then you'll get something."

Who Will Deliver Me?

Will Power, Wont Power, Want Power

July 12:

I will! I won't! I want! Were you born to resist cheesecake? Too Tired? Why our will is like a muscle. Goody! Why being "good" can make us bad. Your Brain Can Lie? Why we mistake want for happiness. I Don't Care! How feeling down leads to giving up. Selling the Future Instant gratication - Now! Infected? Why willpower is contagious. The End of Our Rope! The limits of resistance and beyond.

July 19:

July 26:

August 2:

August 9:

August 16:

August 23:

August 30: