Monday 8 July, 2013

4 Finally, brothers and sisters, we taught you how to live in a way that pleases God. In fact, that is how you are living. In the name of the Lord Jesus we ask and beg you to do it more and more. 2 You know the directions we gave you. They were given by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 God wants you to be made holy. He wants you to stay away from sexual sins. 4 He wants all of you to learn to control your own bodies. You must live in a way that is holy. You must live with honor. 5 Don’t long to commit sexual sins like those who don’t know God. 6 None of you should sin against your brother by doing that. You should not take advantage of him. The Lord will punish everyone who commits those kinds of sins. We have already told you and warned you about that. 7 God chose us to live pure lives. He wants us to be holy. 8 So if you refuse to accept my teaching, you turn your back on God, not on people. God gives you his Holy Spirit.

The Message version of the Bible has the first verse of this passage as

“One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance.”

What a great idea. Living life as a spirited dance in partnership with God. To do that we need to take note of the things that God has said are not helpful like sexual sin or harming our brothers and sisters. A partnership means a conversation – that we talk to God and come to decisions about how we are going to live our lives together.

Thank you Lord that you are that interested in us and our lives and that you want to help us live life well. Help us to work in partnership with You. Help us to listen to the Holy Spirit so that we make great decisions.

Written by Therese Manning