Romans 12
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,a by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
I have a favorite movie, I just can't remember the title. It's very much a B budget film. A woman is invited to dinner, in our modern world, by Jesus. She decides that she will go - she hates fake Christians and finds out, in the movie, yes, this is Jesus Himself. And being Jesus He does Zacchaeus her, Nicodemus her, all the things we know Jesus draws from knowing our heart intimately.
The woman discovers that absolute goodness of Jesus. She discovers how much Jesus loves her as she is. Jesus knows all about her. Like the woman at the well. And she finds that the Love in Jesus cannot be left without loving with all her heart to Jesus.
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
What it would be like to meet Jesus?
The Love unfolds tenderly. The response is allowed to bloom from her. This woman is never going to forget or dismay that Jesus is her destination.
What if ?
Suppose you were surprised to be invited to breakfast at the Beach. And when you got there, found out this was someone who you ran out on. And the breakfast is fish. You see a lot of fish, but you don't know what to say to the one you ran out on. And then you realize - in joy - forgiveness dwells here. An impossible reunion and forgiveness.
And you find out - you are being given a new name. Rock.
And you have a new job. Bring the Good News of this dead, now living Man to the world - which just killed Him. Terribly.
That's a very overwhelming job.
So you start out and you are amazed the 36 acres of the Temples clear and multitudes who have seen Jesus are Joyous knowing He has returned not only to the disciples again and again for 40 days. Witnesses include 500 people who really know Jesus.
The multitudes go home, saved, they believe.
And now you have to figure out how to bring this to the world. No pressure.
Well everyone decides they need administration. Good first step! Ok, accomplished! We can tell Peter is scratching his head. The rules people decide they see wavering and now is the time to start killing off the Disciples of Jesus! And put Peter in prison. The game of checkers is much more relaxing. Peter is so tense he thinks angelic help is a vision.
With God's help - even Josephus, a General of Judah - is astonished these men just don't quit. And began to be called Christians.
If you are Peter, you have to still be pretty overwhelmed. God helps. Pretty soon you have Paul. What are they going to do with... the world?
They decide with God that the really, really Jewish one is going to the Gentiles and the outskirts ex-thanks-to-God prison-sitter is going to the Jews. Whew, good deal the world is now divided into Jews and Gentiles. Only Half the world to go !!!
What happened? Life. God never flew the Children of Israel to the promised land. They were joined, rejoiced, honored, killed, raised, shipwrecked, cursed, feted, paraded, rioted, and joined Jesus.
God's Work Men Go Home and His Work Continues. To God goes the Victory. Peter and Paul with the Holy Spirit - did Mightily ! Glory to Jesus Christ !
What happened with so many believers for Two Millenniums. What was their purpose in this Life. The Purpose Driven, Chosen, Called, Fumble (Chorazin, Bethsaida, Antioch and Iconium, Asia), Bumble (his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall), Father God named you Ephesians 2 life.
The Scriptures are Vast.
When the Temple was thought of to be built. God said the Temple would not hold the edge of My Robe. And we wonder what was the mist in the Temple. This was the Vast Heavens displaying merely a glimpse.
How Vast is our God. How far He reaches.
The creator, the Father of All, named you. And nothing you can do will repay Him for His Lavish Love.
John stayed with Jesus when only women - His Mother and her sisters and Salome would dare. John recognized Jesus. God of Love.
Let Love be genuine.
This is our Purpose Driven Life. John was not 'in love' as he stood with kill-you-dead- Centurions. There was a real possibility of death. Herod killed Jews all the time. John knew that this was Love, integrity and honor and he was not leaving. John said to himself if you've seen the Widow of Nain weep for impossible joy. If you've seen Jairus for his daughter's resurrection. If you've seen the 38 year waiting man at the Pool of Bethesda, If you've seen the life long blind man see. If you've seen Jesus walk on water. If you've seen Peter carried over water back to the ship. If you've seen multitudes of fish. You don't leave Jesus. This is Love.
There once was a man who was interested in what life was bringing him. He was the third of 10 children. Due to the times, his father's estate was divided among only 2 living children.
He took the high ground and began his home. Which fascinated him, until he decided that much, much more was available. He left his wife time and again. She was unwell and several times she bore children whom died and he never met. The only son died. As she died, she asked him never to marry again because she did not want her two children raised by another woman. The man was so grief stricken in an era where grief was well known, people feared for him.
And his career continued. Eventually he thought to become President of the United States. Instead a very, very good friend became President and he became Vice-President. This did not seem fair. At all. The states knew him best. He had written the Declaration of Independence. He ruined the Presidency of his close friend. Humiliated him. Refused to be a solution, instead he was a mocking, cynic of what he had helped to create. From 1801 until 1809 President John Adams did not make public commentary. In 1803, John Adams went bankrupt. In 1809, John Adams began to correspond with two friends who encouraged him to contribute.
In 1812, John Adams began to revive his heart to Jefferson and write him. Not everyone wants to receive letters from someone they cast down. Jefferson had had conversations with a minister and had been looking at the Bible. In fact, Jefferson started cutting out portions of the Bible Jefferson said were pure gold.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Thomas Jefferson did not take to every Word of God. God tells us that in our minds, we are not able to take in the size of the Universe, the scope of creation, the permanence of eternity. God says we are not build to understand all things.
This friendship was so astonishing to both men, that they died on July 4th, 1826 - together on the same day and same significant date to them. Thomas Jefferson passed on first. And John Adams went on to Heaven proclaiming "Thomas Jefferson Lives!"
My grandmother went to Heaven and for an entire day she greeted people she had missed for decades. One of whom had died 40 years prior with news of current events. You cannot tell me this coincidence and news of God is not absolutely a miracle of Father God Himself.
Romans 12
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
We are exactly Romans 12! We are part of the Body of Christ. Finding Genuine Love. Living our lives to Abide in God and His Word.
If Thomas Jefferson did not fulfill all of the Vast Scriptures - he found the most beautiful of God's Promises. Jefferson's words are left to us of Jesus worship. The deeds of Thomas Jefferson.
Love.
I met a Bishop in Dallas, Bishop Sam, and he told me he could never ever attempt to understand all of the Scriptures, but one was his favorite.
His Banner over me is Love.
Dear Father God,
Our response to Your Vast Creation, the Promises we find in Jesus the Christ.
We rejoice to find we are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.
Of this Gospel, I believe and speak, I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of Your power.
To us, though we are the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to speak with Love, the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for all mankind, what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in our Father God.
Our God - You have created all things. We pray Your Love and Strength to the Jesus Christ honoring and Gospel believing Church - the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
This is the eternal purpose Christ Jesus our Lord spoke of.
We want to learn to be in Love, wisdom, opportunity and joy to have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him. We will not loose heart for the times we missed, we look forward to Your glory.
For Jesus. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father.
Knowing this infinite mystery, power, Love from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. According to the riches of His glory He may grant us to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in our inner being.
In partaking of Communion, we see ourselves again physically willing to have Jesus Live with in us. To see Him willing to be received. Honoring the New Covenant that the Holy Spirit dwells in us as the Light of Christ John 1 tells us.
Remembering Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith — that we, being rooted and grounded in love.
That we will in Jesus have strength to comprehend with all the saints
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
we know the Love of Christ surpasses knowledge, (God Himself says so)
and we will be filled with all the fullness of God.
And in His fullness of Jesus, we rest, our lives, our cares, our loved ones, our communities, our Churches, our States, our Nation and the people of God in the world today and tomorrow who call on the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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