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SUNDAY LORD'S DAY
Sunday is my day to go to church and worship the Lord. It's where I connect with my fellow believers, and it truly feels like a celebration. It just feels right, you know?
I find so much comfort in knowing God is pleased when we gather to worship Him. Psalm 133:11 says, "How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!" It's a beautiful reminder of the power of community.
We're called to gather regularly, and I try to never take that for granted. The Bible even tells us not to give up meeting together, like some people do. It's something I'm always working on – making church a priority. Life gets busy, but it's so worth it.
Psalm 84:102 really speaks to me: "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." That really puts things in perspective. For me, there’s no better place to be.
If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
However, fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Just look at the great things he has done for you!
Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God – which is your reasonable service.
After he sat down, he called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet.
“And you, Solomon my son, obey the God of your father and serve him with a submissive attitude and a willing spirit, for the Lord examines all minds and understands every motive of one’s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let you find him, but if you abandon him, he will reject you permanently.
The people were delighted with their donations, for they contributed to the Lord with a willing attitude; King David was also very happy.
His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’
You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him.
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.
The expert answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
You must serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from your midst.
I heard the voice of the sovereign master say, “Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” I answered, “Here I am, send me!”
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints.
and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave –just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you?When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps.And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’
If you have no desire to worship the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, whether it be the gods whom your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family will worship the Lord!”
But carefully obey the commands and instructions Moses the Lord’s servant gave you. Love the Lord your God, follow all his instructions, obey his commands, be loyal to him, and serve him with all your heart and being!”
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, may serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness before him for as long as we live.
Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots of the Jews.
Certainly spending just one day in your temple courts is better than spending a thousand elsewhere. I would rather stand at the entrance to the temple of my God than live in the tents of the wicked.
Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God – which is your reasonable service.Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord.Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality.Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people.If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
Trust in the Lord and do what is right! Settle in the land and maintain your integrity!The godly speak wise words and promote justice.The law of their God controls their thinking; their feet do not slip.Evil men set an ambush for the godly and try to kill them.But the Lord does not surrender the godly, or allow them to be condemned in a court of law.Rely on the Lord! Obey his commands! Then he will permit you to possess the land; you will see the demise of evil men.I have seen ruthless evil men growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil.But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! I looked for them, but they could not be found.Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! For the one who promotes peace has a future.Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; evil men have no future.But the Lord delivers the godly; he protects them in times of trouble.Then you will take delight in the Lord, and he will answer your prayers.
For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.
Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people,because you know that each person, whether slave or free, if he does something good, this will be rewarded by the Lord.
Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.since it was because of the work of Christ that he almost died. He risked his life so that he could make up for your inability to serve me.Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.
for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort – for the sake of his good pleasure – is God.
Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people,because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward. Serve the Lord Christ.
For people everywhere report how you welcomed us and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
Always rejoice,constantly pray,in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
I am grateful to the one who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me faithful in putting me into ministry,
Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately.
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.
So since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us give thanks, and through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe.
But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves.For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror.For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was.But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he will be blessed in what he does.
Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.Whoever speaks, let it be with God’s words. Whoever serves, do so with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge;to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness;to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love.For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.
‘I know your deeds: your love, faith, service, and steadfast endurance. In fact, your more recent deeds are greater than your earlier ones.
‘I know your deeds. (Look! I have put in front of you an open door that no one can shut.) I know that you have little strength, but you have obeyed my word and have not denied my name.
For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them.