It’s easy to slide backward into regret. Scripture calls the devil “the accuser” because he is so skilled at throwing past mistakes and missed opportunities in your face. It’s okay to recall past mistakes – its one of the ways we measure our progress after all – but its not okay to remain in the past. There is too little time and too much is at stake to be sidetracked from following Christ to the finish.

We all have a past, but Paul’s was really, really bad. His religious pedigree and his zeal for Judaism blinded him to the truth of who Jesus, leading him to persecute Jesus’ followers. Paul was present at, and gave his approval to, the murder of Stephen, one of the church’s first deacons. Paul knew regret, and he knew the relief of salvation that moved him to invest the rest of his life in service to his Savior.

There is only one person who every lived a life without regret: Jesus. His life of kindness and love made a way for us to experience new life that is characterized by righteousness – not our own righteousness – but his righteousness expressed in the confident expectation of eternity with him.

There is a difference between acknowledging your sin and being anchored to your sin. Acknowledging your sin says, “I did”; being anchored to your sin says, “I am.” Acknowledging to your sin leads to salvation. Being anchored to your sin leads to shame. Being anchored to your sin will keep you in shackles, but acknowledging your sin is the first step toward redemption.

The way of Jesus and the way of the world are different. The way of the world means attacking your enemy; the way of Jesus means living at peace whenever possible. The way of the world exacts revenge; the way of Jesus means leaving vengeance to God. The world fights fire with fire, but Jesus overcomes evil with good. Your ability to practice the last two verses of this chapter reveals your obedience to the first two verses of this chapter.

Can’t we all just get along? We’ve all said that – or at least thought it. There is so much conflict in the world today, and most of it is beyond our control. But we can control ourselves. We can choose to genuinely love others, even those who hurt us. In eight short verses, Paul gives believers twenty non-conforming commands that, if diligently practiced, will transform your life and relationships, and might even – in some small way - make the world would be a much better place.

You is a tricky word in the English language. It can mean you – the individual, or it can mean you – as in you all. There is no such confusion in this chapter. Paul makes it clear that his words apply to “every one of you” in the church. He makes it clear that each individual is an important part of the collective. The selfless, non- conforming way of Jesus means that we live – not for self – but to humbly prophecy, serve, teach, encourage, give, lead, and impart mercy to the rest of the body of Christ.

Our world has a way of pounding us into conformity. Bit by bit the media, our peers, and sometimes even well-meaning Christians hammer away at us until we fit what the world says we ought to be. The way of Jesus is different. In the face of the pressure to conform, Paul’s simple command is this: “Do not conform to the

pattern of this world.” Everything Paul writes in the verses that follow flow from this counter-cultural understanding. It is a difficult, seemingly impossible challenge. In fact, it can only be lived out only when we die to ourselves.

It is significant that one of Jesus’ last earthly encounters took place with a pair of people on a road together. (Question: Does Jesus ever encounter an individual after his resurrection, or does he always appear to two or more?) Who are you on the road with, leading to a Jesus encounter?

At his crucifixion Jesus impacted the people around him. He graced a thief with salvation. A Roman solider believed. Even on the cross Jesus focused on his mother, making sure that she was cared for. Jesus demonstrated radical forgiveness and, despite his agony, an astonishing level of selflessness. Do we?