Wednesday, August 12, 2015

A living sacrifice. 8/12/15

Day 221 - Reading the New Testament in one year.




 Romans 12

 A Living Sacrifice
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do 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 God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 Humble Service in the Body of Christ
3 For 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. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We 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; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

 Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.

 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

 “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Supplied Life Devotional by Bill Freeman

Nothingness escorts us to Christ August 12th

“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” MATTHEW 5:20

When the Lord speaks of having a surpassing righteousness for entering into the kingdom, He is applying a finer measure- ment with a much higher demand than the law. The standard of the  law could be compared to measuring in “inches,” but the Lord’s word in Matthew 5—7 could be compared to measuring in “picas,” which are a fraction of an inch. This means the measurement is much finer and more detailed. The Lord measures our emotions, our attitudes, our reactions, our exaggerations, our comments about others — He measures it all! He measures our heart, He measures what we think, He measures the fantasies in our mind, He measures how we look at others, He measures lust, He measures anxiety. He measures how we react in situations that touch our selfishness and personal conve- nience — going two miles instead of one, or giving our outward coat as well as our inner garment. Nothing escapes being measured.

If we were discouraged by the law of Moses, we are even more discouraged by Matthew 5—7. Indeed, in Matthew 5:48 the Lord reaches the point of saying, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Perfection in this verse is the demand to love exactly as the Father loves. It is not merely putting up with our enemies, but praying for them and blessing them. Such a measuring of our love finds us all short, but at the same time it escorts us to Christ as our life and life-supply. When we are escorted to Christ, we become partakers of His love. This is why the Lord begins Matthew 5—7 with “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). When we are poor in spirit, we realize that in ourselves we do not have the divine love toward our enemies. We realize that we are nothing and can do nothing. The Lord’s high standard is intended to cause disappointment over ourselves so that we would be drawn away from our own nothing- ness to the energy and strength of Another life. It is this sense of nothingness that escorts us to Christ.


Pray Until Something Happens (PUSH)

Anna, Ariana, Ariel, Pat,  Rene, Wes, and Willie.

Health and Healing

Vonetta's mom 

Support and Comfort

Praise Alert
Vonetta's mom health improved

National
Conflict between citizens and  police officer. 

International
Israel and Palestine
Iraq
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