Romans 12

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

³ Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. ⁴ Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, ⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. ⁶ In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. ⁷ If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸ If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. ⁹ Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. ¹¹ Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. ¹² Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. ¹³ When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. ¹⁵ Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! ¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge;  I will pay them back,” says the Lord.

²⁰ Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.  If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”

²¹ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

The New Testament writers saw the transition of little children off of milk and onto solid foods as an apt illustration of spiritual maturity.  But surprisingly, many believers were stunted in their spiritual growth.  This is certainly still true today!

• Like the Corinthian Christians, to get on the path to spiritual growth we must first identify what is holding us back.
• We must also understand the purpose and potential God has given to us.
• Finally, we must learn reliance upon the power of God for all good things that happen in us and through us.

People surely gasped when Jesus touched a man with leprosy.  Luke 5:12-16 People surely gasped when Jesus called a tax collector to be a disciple.  Luke 5:27-32 People surely gasped when Jesus allowed a sinful woman to wash his feet with her hair.  Luke 7:36-39 Jesus knew something about himself that you and I sometimes forget.  Jesus is always more contagious than anything he touches!

The greatest purpose of life is for us to walk with God. The Garden of Eden - Genesis 2 & 3 The Tabernacle - Exodus 25 & Leviticus 16 The Tomb - John 20 The City - Revelation 21 & 22 The Cross - Luke 23

Philippians 3:12-14 Today is the beginning of a new year!  Rather than getting caught up in stereotypical New Year’s resolutions, why don’t we study and apply what the Bible teaches about making a new start in life?  The Apostle Paul gives us some excellent guidance in his letter to the Philippian believers. We need an attitude of humility.  “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect…”  (v.12a) We need to keep a singular focus.  “But one thing I do…” (v.13a) We need to leave the past in the past.  “Forgetting what is behind…” (v.13b) We need to set our sight on the future God has in store!  “I press on toward the goal…” (v.14)