Day: February 19, 2018

February 20, 2018

1 Peter 3:8-18 New Living Translation (NLT)

There are many, many wonderful lessons in our reading today.  We are brought to God through Christ and we are to have his mindset.  What is the mindset of Christ?  To see ourselves as one household connected to Christ.  That means we deeply appreciate and serve one another and keep a clear conscience of how we love each other.  There should be no relationships stronger on earth than our spiritual connections in Christ who is Love incarnate and the Head of the Church (believers).  We are his Body reaching out to others, moving in synchronicity with the Spirit, to serve in God’s mission of salvation.

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February 19, 2018

Ephesians 2:1-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

In the days of Noah, God brought a flood.  Noah and his family were in the ark; they were both saved by the water and saved from the water.  They were saved by the Spirit from the flooding judgment of Almighty God.  And, that water of the Spirit is a picture of baptism that now saves us through a response to God from a clean conscience.  Baptism is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).

Because of the Spirit, we are now made alive with the resurrected Christ.  We are baptized into the Spirit of Christ.  We can follow his lead for our lives and we can have his strength to live in the love and presence of God so we can do the good things he has planned for us.  There is no fear and no judgment; we are saved to Testify!

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