Good morning. We are back
in Romans, repeating the last verse we covered. The mind set on the flesh is
death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. Too many Christians
have their minds set on the wrong thing - the things of the world. But sometimes
it's hard not to. There are too many things in the world happening to us every
day. They demand our attention. It's hard to think about spiritual things when
bad things are surrounding you. Why is the mind set on the flesh death? Because
it is hostile toward God; it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it
is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
That type of mindset wants its own way; it does not want to listen to God for
fear that God will tell it to do something it doesn't want to do. Thank God: we
are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in
you. And He does dwell in us so we are not in the flesh. But if anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, he does not along to Him. And now some great news!
If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is
alive because of righteousness. Our spirits live forever; this body – not so
much. And then the best news ever: but if the Spirit of Himself who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you!
Though our bodies are dying daily, He will give life to them through the Holy
Spirit who indwells us. Father thank You that the reader is not in the flesh
but in the Spirit. He/she does not listen to the things of the world but to
You.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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