““Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For
“Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
let him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.””
Highland,
Here is our text from Sunday’s sermon. Let us press on to know the Lord and to make Him known, by bringing this passage to life in the way we conduct ourselves. Highland, the ONLY WAY to do this is to remain submissive to the authority of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him total command of our disposition, resulting in the “Gospel-flavored fruit” we see in this text being produced within our lives.
Highland, this is my charge to us! Again, I say, remaining submissive and in agreement with the Holy Spirit is the only way that this is possible for a band of sinners, like us. There is nothing good in us; holy within us, apart from the Holy Spirit. As we delight under the reign of His gentle authority within us, He continues to set our dispositions apart from our flesh, producing desires within our disposition that lead us to delight within being a blessing to those who offer us evil, to keep our tongues from speaking deceit and evil and, instead, finding joy in pursuing peace with those who offer us offense.
Highland, I love you. I am grateful that I have the privilege of serving as your Pastor - I do not take this post lightly. I continue to ask the Lord to grant us ‘unity in mind, a sympathetic understanding for one another, a brotherly love, tenderness in heart and humble minds.’ Know that as I pursue to glorify the Lord in all that I do, I am also in pursuit of your good, in His honor.
I hope your week is going well. I look forward to seeing you Sunday, as we celebrate the One, Jesus, who overcame death so that, through repentance, we get to know victory over sin and death in His name.
I am excited to do life with you,
Rob