Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. — 1 Corinthians 12:13
Rather than offering my insight on this passage, the amplified paraphrasing of this passage in Eugene Peterson's The Message is quite to the point: "By means of [Jesus'] one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which Jesus has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.)
Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain — his Spirit — where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves — labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free — are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive."
'Lovers of Darkness' — John 3:19
[Jesus said,] "And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil." - — John 3:19
Some folks don't just reject Jesus; they hate God, Christianity, religion, Christians, and anything that smacks of wholesome living. Evil is real and controls the lives of those who give it safe harbor. Evil recoils from truth. Too often, some people end up rejecting the truth of God for a simple reason: They love how they are living and don't want to give it up. They are well on their way to being lovers of darkness. Don't let evil, or the Evil One, dull your spiritual senses so that you miss God's gracious and liberating truth. If you find yourself flirting with sin and evil, use the Joseph solution — get up and run away (Genesis 39:6-12)! When evil is allowed a place to grow, it will ultimately lead us to flee the light like cockroaches scurrying for cover when the light comes on. Let's keep our hearts set on Jesus and his righteousness.
Psalm 68:3
May the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. —
Let's join our hearts together today, tens of thousands of us, and let's pray for God to make us a joyful and happy people who live righteously to his glory. For those in difficulty, let's pray for our mighty God to give them reasons to rejoice. For those who have been bountifully blessed, let's pray he opens our eyes to see the glorious riches that he has already poured into our lives.
Rather than offering my insight on this passage, the amplified paraphrasing of this passage in Eugene Peterson's The Message is quite to the point: "By means of [Jesus'] one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which Jesus has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.)
Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain — his Spirit — where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves — labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free — are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive."
'Lovers of Darkness' — John 3:19
[Jesus said,] "And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil." - — John 3:19
Some folks don't just reject Jesus; they hate God, Christianity, religion, Christians, and anything that smacks of wholesome living. Evil is real and controls the lives of those who give it safe harbor. Evil recoils from truth. Too often, some people end up rejecting the truth of God for a simple reason: They love how they are living and don't want to give it up. They are well on their way to being lovers of darkness. Don't let evil, or the Evil One, dull your spiritual senses so that you miss God's gracious and liberating truth. If you find yourself flirting with sin and evil, use the Joseph solution — get up and run away (Genesis 39:6-12)! When evil is allowed a place to grow, it will ultimately lead us to flee the light like cockroaches scurrying for cover when the light comes on. Let's keep our hearts set on Jesus and his righteousness.
Psalm 68:3
May the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. —
Let's join our hearts together today, tens of thousands of us, and let's pray for God to make us a joyful and happy people who live righteously to his glory. For those in difficulty, let's pray for our mighty God to give them reasons to rejoice. For those who have been bountifully blessed, let's pray he opens our eyes to see the glorious riches that he has already poured into our lives.
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