(Rom. 12: 13-16) “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.” Again as we look at the conduct of the Christian within the Church, the Apostle Paul continues his list of direct commands. First of all we are commanded to care for one another. It’s one thing to tithe to the church but it’s something else to be willing to financially help others. God never intended the church to be a welfare program, but He does desire us to have compassion on those in need. “Hospitality” means that we are to open up our lives to be gracious and serving to all men. Learning to “bless” those that attack us, rather than “curse” them in retaliation. Our lives need to be uplifting, “rejoicing” with others when things go right and comforting to them when in sorrow. In other words, emotionally involved in the lives of those in our Church. God wants us to be a united body of believers and not just attenders, by humbly serving one another without pride or prejudice. “Minding not high things,” meaning that we are to put the needs of others above our own, and if we will do this, God’s love will draw people in through us, and abound for the glory of God and our edification!
( Gen 41:41-43) “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt... A nd he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.” When Joseph was introduced to us in chp.37, he was a young inexperienced 17 year old boy, and yet 13 years later God raised him up to rule the nation of Egypt. So, what made him different ? The Answer : “ Time,” and his faith in God ! You see time is a wonderful teacher; 1) Time strengthens endurance . Endurance and faith can only be strengthened over time. Like exercise, we start out not able to do much but over time we find that we can do more. You see, God allows us to go through the ups and downs of life, to help us gain not only spiritual maturity, but also spiritual abilities. Spiritual endurance therefore enables us to handle life’s trials better. 2) Time strengthens patience . Although Joseph, ...
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