Romans 12 in the Message Bible

Rom 12:1 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
Rom 12:2 Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Rom 12:3 I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
Rom 12:4 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around.
Rom 12:5 The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body,
Rom 12:6 let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't. If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else;
Rom 12:7 if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching;
Rom 12:8 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.
Rom 12:9 Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good.
Rom 12:10 Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Rom 12:11 Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master,
Rom 12:12 cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.
Rom 12:13 Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Rom 12:14 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath.
Rom 12:15 Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down.
Rom 12:16 Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.
Rom 12:17 Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone.
Rom 12:18 If you've got it in you, get along with everybody.
Rom 12:19 Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."
Rom 12:20 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness.
Rom 12:21 Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.