God intends for us to be people who are shaped by him. As he continues to shape us and mold us we continue to look more and more like Jesus. Paul gives us a good example of one shaped by the gospel as he interacts with the Romans.

Jesus is making an overt-the-top joyful and singing multi-cultural family. God has openly promised all along, from Abraham through the Prophets, to make a family out of people from all cultures of the world. And He wants us to embrace this and approach one another with this hope and expectation.

We welcome each other because God has welcomed us and them and his pleasure … his design for us is to seek the true pleasure of each of his children he places in our lives and that we together, with one, well scripturally-fueled mind, joyfully proclain continually that God is truly astounding.

God’s call for our focus is not on what we are privileged-to in this life, but rather our Father and his beloved family’s welfare and building up. If we keep that clear, then our pathway in front of us is rather simple and clear. How do I handle this brother/ sister? Seek the Spirit’s leading on how to love and build them up in authentically following Christ.

There are many issues that God’s Word is clear on, there are others that require us to use our God given consciences to discern. As we seek to live faithfully as God’s people, we must learn to walk with him and remember that, ultimately, he is the judge and we all belong to him.

Christ calls his followers to be keen in their thought and perspective, choosing to capitalize on our short earthly lives, adopting the mind and character of Christ and watchfully cutting off our pathways to sin and failure.

The Father has graciously provided earthly governments as protection and provision for the people of earth.  Out of this conviction we follow and support earthly governments, then shift our efforts and focus on loving the lives God has placed around us.

It is our honor and joy to present ourselves as living offerings (offering) given to God as we live among His people in the Church and the world which will mistreat us.

The life set apart for the pleasure of God will be marked with intentional and earnest following of Christ’s example left for us.