SCRIPTURE: Romans 12
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
“Jesus asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” [John 8:11] Notice that Jesus does not tell her first to stop sinning, then He will not condemn her; rather, He does not condemn her, therefore leave the life of sin. This is the same emphasis in Romans 12 – “in view of God’s mercy!”
Paul offers an extensive list of positive attitudes and behaviours that ought to characterize our lives. Almost every verse serves as a proverb, wisdom for living, short and easy-to-remember phrases:
• Love must be sincere.
• Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
• Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
• Honor one another above yourselves.
• Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
• Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
• Share with God’s people who are in need.
• Practice hospitality.
• Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
• Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
• Live in harmony with one another.
• Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.
• Do not be conceited.
• Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
• Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
• If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
• Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath
• If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
• Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Why do we do these things? To make God love us? NO!!! Because God loves us, accepts us, forgives us.
Now go and do likewise. Love people, not because they deserve it but just like God loves us – free, undeserved. This is how God overcomes evil!
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for loving me, and challenging me to live with the same kind of generous, peace-loving, redemptive love. Transform me…
The goal is to be Christ like.
As He is a Living Sacrifice so we need to be a living sacrifice. What could honor Jesus more than to give Him our whole self? It says we trust Him; we love Him, we want to be like Him.
What does it mean to be this living sacrifice?
Love until it hurts like hell, and then love some more… Jesus did it willingly.
Turn off the TV at the first sign of evil; don’t dabble on the edge of dirt.
Gladly clean the mess in the public washroom, even though no-one will ever know you did it. Jesus sees you.
Sing praises to God when it is the last thing you feel like doing. He is so worthy (and generally within minutes it will be the first thing you feel like doing.)
Share your money. Do you really need more stuff? Jesus had one set of clothes and sandals. No bed, no books, no flower gardens; and He is KING of the world.
Talk to the people at church who are hard to talk to. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you relate to them. Jesus values and loves them as much as He values and loves you.
If God tells you to go where there are people who have done despicable things then go, letting God fill your heart with His love for them. They need Jesus just like you need Jesus and He needs your body to do it.
Go to a wake when someone has died or to the house when some horrible thing has happened; yes it is hard and uncomfortable, but it is not about you, it is for them, the Holy Spirit will enable you to love them in their time of need.
It sounds like a lot of hard things, being Christ like, yet when you do it, it feels good and right and you know, deep inside, that you and Jesus are on the same page…. and you don’t want to do anything else…. (until the next cross road!)
As Jesus Christ came to serve and not be served, so I too need to serve each and every day. I need to live my life in such a way that so far it depends upon me, I will live at peace with all mankind. Not my will be done, but THY will be done, always. Love in action. And the greatest of these is LOVE. The gospel in one word is LOVE.
In my living for Jesus I need to be GodStrong, LoveStrong, ChristStrong. In all my actions, I need to be a living letter, an epistle, read by all those around me, carrying the LIGHT. LightStrong. I need to radiate the light of Christ in all I do and say. StarShine! Shine Jesus shine through all I do and say. LightShine.
Thank You Lord for the living example of my Savior. Now I must do the same as His follower, Christian by name. His disciple. ChristShine.
Shine Jesus shine
Fill this land with the Fathers glory
Blaze, Spirit blaze,
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your Word
Lord and let there be light.
Today I will go forward in this LightShine.