“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.” (Rom. 12:9 NLT)

Love others genuinely and honor them delightfully

“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” (Rom. 12:10 NLT)

Serve the Lord with enthusiasm

“Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” (Rom. 12:11 NLT)

Keep on praying

“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” (Rom. 12:12 NLT)

Be ready to help God’s people

“When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

“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. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” (Rom. 12:3-5 NLT)

God has given us gifts to do things well

“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” (Rom. 12:6a NLT)

If your gift is the ability to prophesy

“So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.” (Rom. 12:6b NLT)

If your gift is serving others

“If your gift is serving others, serve them well.” (Rom. 12:7a NLT)

If your gift is teaching

“If you are a teacher, teach well.” (Rom. 12:7b NLT)

If your gift is to encourage others

“If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.” (Rom. 12:8a NLT)

If your gift is giving

“If it is giving, give generously.” (Rom. 12:8b NLT)

If your gift is leadership

“If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.” (Rom. 12:8c NLT)  

If your gift is showing kindness

“And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” (Rom. 12:8d NLT)

“We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.” (Rom. 6:6 NLT)

We are free from the power of sin

“For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.” (Rom. 6:7 NLT)

Consider yourself dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus

“When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 6:10-11 NLT)

Control yourself and live under the freedom of God’s grace

“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” (Rom. 6:12-14 NLT)

You are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:20-23 NLT)

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV)

In the above passage we learn that God has given us several wonderful things.

God gave us…

• A Spirit: “This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.” (2 John 4:13 NIV)
• Not of fear: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10)
• But of power: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV)
• And love: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16 NIV)
• And self control: “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” (Titus 2:11-13 NIV)

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Col. 2:8 ESV)

The above passage warns us to watch out for several things that could trap you

• Philosophy: Philosophy has to do with matters concerning existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. A personal philosophy is summed up by one's ethical beliefs and/or goals in life for achieving success, love and happiness.  There are many definitions for this, but it all boils down to whether your personal philosophy of life comes from a worldly point of view or comes from the Word of God. “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” (1 Cor. 2:6-7 ESV)

• Empty deceit: Deceit is defined as anything to do with  deception, duplicity, double-dealing, fraud, cheating, trickery, fake, lying, pretense, treachery, crookedness, or scheming. The opposite of deceit is truth. “The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others.” (Psalms 15:2-3 NIV)
• According to Human tradition: “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.” (2 Thess. 3:6 ESV)
  
• Elementary spirits of the world: “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.” (Col. 2:20-22 NIV)
  
• And not according to Christ: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” (Col. 2:9-10 NIV)
  

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:21 NLT)

The above passage is the gospel (good news) stated very simply and clearly in only one verse. Let’s look at and define the verse a few words at a time:

• FOR GOD - The Father, creator, maker, ruler of the universe, and the source of all moral authority
• MADE – caused, compelled, assigned, appointed
  
• CHRIST – Jesus the Messiah, the chosen one, the anointed  one, the King of Kings, the Lord of lords.
  
• WHO NEVER SINNED – a man of pure and perfect nature, untouched by sin.
  
• TO BE THE OFFERING – to be the acceptable gift sufficient to pay the total cost
  
• FOR OUR SIN – for our transgression against God’s moral laws which have separated us from Him.
  
• SO THAT WE COULD BE MADE RIGHT – so that we could be made righteous, blameless, and irreproachable in God’s sight
• WITH GOD THROUGH CHRIST – and have peace with God through what Jesus has done.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15 ESV)

Last week I attended the funeral of a Christian friend. It was a joyous occasion as relatives and friends gathered to celebrate her life. She had lived it well and there was no doubt that she had placed God first in her life. Funerals of friends and loved ones remind us that life on earth is temporary and death is certain for everyone. The Bible has a lot to say on the subject.

Blessed are those who die in the Lord

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Rev. 14:13 ESV)

You will be at home with the Lord

“And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43 ESV)

“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Cor. 5:6-8 ESV)

God will wipe away every tear

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4 ESV)

Our spirit returns to God who gave it

“And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Eccles. 12:7 ESV)

Those who believe and put their trust in Jesus have eternal life

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” (John 5:24-26 ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 ESV)

“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:12 ESV)

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21 ESV)

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (2 Cor. 15:22 ESV)

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” (Prov. 10:9 ESV)

Integrity – The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. honesty, honor, good character, ethics, righteousness, virtue, decency, fairness.

Integrity means renouncing wrong ways and walking in God’s truth

“But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Cor. 4:2 ESV)

The integrity of the upright is their guide

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” (Prov. 11:3 ESV)

“By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. “ (Psalms 41:11-12 ESV)

The righteous walks in integrity and their children are blessed

“The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!” (Prov. 20:7 ESV)

In your teaching show integrity

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity.” (Titus 2:7 ESV)

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16 ESV)

Religious stereotypes

As a child I lived with many different families as part of the foster care program. Some of them attended church, so I went with them and was exposed to a variety of churches. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with any of them and had no reason to go to church after becoming an adult. My opinion of religious people was mainly formed by what I saw in movies with stereotypes such as Elmer Gantry. Religious characters were usually weak, effeminate, mean, or hypocritical and I didn’t want to be around anyone like them! But, then I met a man who totally changed my mind about what a church goer should look like. It happened in the most unlikely place, at U.S. Army basic training!

A positive example

I was drafted into the Army in 1968 and sent to Fort Lewis for basic training. I was put into a platoon with other young men to learn how to become soldiers. One of them was Jim Bosman, a young man who looked like the perfect soldier. He was strong, learned things quickly, followed orders correctly, and excelled in everything that was taught. Whenever I spoke to Jim, he looked me in the eye, listened intently to what I had to say and replied clearly with genuine friendliness. I noticed that he never complained, had a positive attitude, and he didn’t swear or smoke. Over the next few weeks of basic training we became friends. I was surprised to find out that he liked going to church. On Sundays there was chapel service on the base and he invited the rest of us to go with him. I did, and he was nothing like any of the religious characters I had seen in movies. In fact, he was quite the opposite and changed my mind about religious stereotypes. After basic training, whenever I thought about church, I had only good positive feelings and it was because of the great example demonstrated by my friend, Jim Bosman.

Be a model of good works

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity.” (Titus 2:7 ESV)