Exercising the Fruit of True Love
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Old Testament Scripture Reading: Dueteronomy 8:8 – (NASB) |
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Deu 8:10 “When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.
Deu 8:11 “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today;
Deu 8:12 otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them,
Deu 8:13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies,
Deu 8:14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Deu 8:15 “He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.
Deu 8:16 “In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.
Deu 8:17 “Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’
Deu 8:18 “But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
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New Testament Scripture Reading: Romans 12:9 – 21 (NASB) |
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Rom 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
Rom 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
Rom 12:11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
Rom 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
Rom 12:13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
Rom 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Rom 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Rom 12:17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
Rom 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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Transforming Power Statements:
1) Israel was gifted by God to be His special / chosen people even before the actual debt of sin was completely satisfied and they enjoyed the many blessings of God; but their relationship was nowhere near to be compared to the present relationship of the Church, because God has now been totally satisfied by the sacrificial love of Christ Jesus His Son, Who alone makes it possible for the indwelt believer to exercise the same love as an act of the will, rather than an external observance of the Law which would always come short of the full glory of God.
2) Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, the ones who are covered by His sacrifice immediately receive the internal ability to chose to serve God by serving others in a way that has never before been possible through human achievement alone.
3) As believers in Jesus Christ who are filled with the Holy Spirit, it is to be the aim of our lives as living sacrifices to extend all effort through the power of the Holy Spirit to exercise the fruit of true love; not as a show; but as actual children of the Most High God!
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