Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / October 21 - Romans 12

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October 21 - Romans 12 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Tuesday.
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  It's the 21st of October. Had to work out which month it
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  was for a moment. And if your life is anything
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  like mine, oh boy, Christmas is clearly nowhere near here, but
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  the end of the year is coming. There's all sorts of school, end
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  of year things coming, exams coming, I've got an exam coming
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  and you start to plan what the rest of the year is going to
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  look like. And then whoa, if you're really
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  forward planning, you think about next year too.
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  But lots going on, lots to think about work, family, friends,
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  plans for life. Which is why I'm so delighted
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  that you have taken this moment to press pause and all of that.
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  Put down your wheat, Bix, and let U.S.
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  Open up God's Word. Actually, you can keep on any of
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  your Webex if you like, and we're going to hear what God has
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  in store for us today. Holy Spirit, come, let your
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  truth shape us. Let your Spirit fill us.
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  Let your word make us ever more like you.
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  Let us read together, friends. Romans, chapter 12.
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  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to
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  give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you.
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  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind He will find
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  acceptable. This is truly the way to worship
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  Him. Don't copy the behaviour and
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  customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new
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  person by changing the way you think.
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  Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is
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  good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and
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  authority God has given me. I give each of you this warning.
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  Don't think you are better than you really are.
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  Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves
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  by the faith God has given us. But just as our bodies have many
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  parts and each part has a special function, so it is with
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  Christ's body. We are many parts of one body,
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  and we all belong to each other. In His grace, God has given us
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  different gifts for doing certain things well.
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  So if God has given you the ability to prophecy, speak out
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  with as much faith as God has given you.
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  If your gift is serving others, serve them well.
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  If you're a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage
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  others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give
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  generously. If God has given you leadership
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  ability, take the responsibility seriously.
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  And if you have a gift of showing kindness to others, do
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  it gladly. Don't just pretend to love
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  others, really love them. Hate what is wrong, hold tightly
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  to what is good, love each other with genuine affection and take
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  delight in honouring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and
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  serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope.
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  Be patient in trouble and keep on praying.
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  When God's people are in need, be ready to help them.
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  Always be eager to practise hospitality.
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  Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them, pray that God
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  will bless them. Be happy with those who are
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  happy and weep with those who weep.
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  Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the
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  company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all.
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  Never pay back evil with more evil.
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  Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are
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  honourable. Do all that you can to live in
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  peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take
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  revenge. Leave that to the righteous
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  anger of God, for the scriptures say, I will take revenge.
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  I will pay them back, says the Lord.
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  Instead, if your enemies are hungry, feed them.
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  If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
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  In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their
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  heads. Don't let evil conquer you, but
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  conquer evil by doing good. Oh Jesus, we need our compasses
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  reset. Our compasses get tainted and
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  drawn away from our true north and we look to the world around
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  us for inspiration. We look to our society for what
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  is important and how we ought to be and how we ought to improve
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  ourselves. But today we hear you urging us
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  not to copy the behaviours and customs of this world, not to
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  take on the wisdom of this world has our own wisdom, but instead
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  of looking around us for inspiration, that we look to you
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  and we ask that you would transform us from the inside
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  out. Holy Spirit, come change our
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  hearts to make them more like your Father's.
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  Change our thoughts to make them more like yours, and change our
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  actions to make them more like those of Jesus, always in
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  service and love of those around him.
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  We need your help to make us different from everything, every
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  voice around us that shouts so loudly at us.
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  We are yours. We belong to you and your
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  Kingdom. Shape us and use us in that way.
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  We pray this in your wonderful name, Jesus, Amen.