2020 0607 Walk in the Power of Jesus

Practical Hints for Life

The New International Version Chapter 12

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” n says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” o

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The Challenge of Commitment

we become a born again believer and we are told that

we have to throw off the old and put on the new

this means we have to have a different operating system

we cannot do the stuff we always have done - cannot lie, gotta work, forgive not hold grudges

it is more than just saying I am a follower of Jesus

it is more than just be filled with the Holy Spirit

it is more than saying I go to church and I pay my tithes

Being a Christian - due process

identifying as a Christian begins with the state of the heart

all the trappings of church life does not empower our walk in Christ

it requires the simple yet practical strategies that Paul espouses in these few verses

it is my opinion, my strong recommendation that when we base our life on the grace of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit

then as we activate these practical and simple acts of love, we seal our power walk in Jesus

I would like to briefly discuss my top 2 acts

Number 1 = Serve the Lord

Romans 12:11 NIV

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

continue in the zeal that you first got when you came to Jesus

keep the fervour going

it is a challenge to say the least when the honeymoon period ends

yet it is beneficial if we can maintain our love affair with Jesus

never grow tired of doing good (Gal 6:9)

serving the Lord is the bottom line for each and every one of us

Number 2 = Everyday Habits

Romans 12:12 NIV

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

be joyful in hope for we have Jesus

we have this great mercy of eternal life and eternal hope that flows from such a position

this eternal hope is above all that this world can offe

the world cannot deliver anything except death, regardless of what it may promise

promises of wealth, power, happiness plus are meaningless when compared to the eternal hope we have in Jesus

it is this great hope that enables us to bear affliction, even persecution

we are told to be patient in affliction and having joy in hope is a tremendous help

it can be quite challenging so we must not let go of the hope

hope gets us through the tight spots

there are times when it seems everything is too much for us

faithful in prayer now kicks in

prayer is placing ourselves in a position where we can hear from God

it is not really about our needs or whatever, but hearing God in good or bad times

as we become more faithful, then we build resilience into our life and christian walk

our everyday habits - hope, patience and prayer