Start Using Your Gifts For God Where You Are | Inspirational & Motivational

in our culture we often hear people say that they're living their best life what that usually means is that they're living a life in which they are fulfilling every desire of their heart whether that be the desire for sexual Freedom work Life Family Life whatever it is they choose to live a life that is best for them and when you look at this notion of living your best life it really comes down to doing what you want to do you're at the center what you want is what matters now in the Bible we will see that Paul has a much different idea of what it means to live your best life the best life according to God's word comes down to loving the Lord with all your heart soul and mind and also loving your neighbor and I'd like to highlight six biblical principles concerning how you should live your life as Believers in Christ there are certain behaviors there's a certain conduct and a certain way that we ought to carry ourselves not so that we can be called Christians but so that we can glorify Jesus Christ with how we live our lives the first principle is found in Romans 12 verse 9. it says let love be genuine abhor what is evil hold fast to what is good the Christian should abhor what is evil and cling to what is good the world tells you to give in to every desire even if it's bad however we are sinners just because you desire something doesn't mean it's good you may desire to eat greasy fast food every day should you give in to that desire of course not you'll end up shortening your life drastically we should abhor our evil desires Paul not only gives us a negative by telling us to run away from evil but he gives us a positive and tells us what to run to we should run to what is good God is good so we should run to the ways and the commands of God the second principle can be found in Romans 12 verse 10. it says love one another with brotherly affection outdo one another in showing honor the Christians should be kindly affectionate to one another we should have a true love for the people around us many times we love people for what they can give us however we move on if they can't provide us with anything Paul tells us to love everyone it should be a constant competition between the Christian to see who can honor the other one better often living your best life according to the world is about connecting with those who can give you an advantage or leg up Paul says to be affectionate to everyone the third principle can be found in Romans 12 verse 14. it says bless those who persecute you bless and do not curse them the world tells us to turn our back on those who hurt us imagine if that is what Jesus did to us we have heard him by sinning against him yet instead of turning his back on us he blessed us by dying on the cross principle 4 can be found in Romans 12. it says live in harmony with one another do not be haughty but associate with the lowly never be wise in your own sight we are not to set our minds on high things but associate with the humble value comes by what you offer the world if you offer the world advantages then you are valued however if you offer the world nothing you are not valued God's economy works much differently we are all highly valued because we are all made in the image of God calls us all to Value everyone we are to associate with those that life has humbled let's say a political leader of your town and a homeless person walk into a church on the same day are you running to associate with the political leader because he has power God calls us to Value both as made in the image of God principle 5 can be found in Romans 12 verse 17. it says repay no one evil for evil but give thought to do what is Honorable in the sight of all it is our gut reaction to fire back at someone who hurt us it's part of our sinful nature and the way the world works if someone hurts you you want to hurt them back living a life for God means not repaying back evil for evil we're no longer an eye for eye lifestyle instead as discussed under principle 3 we should find a way to bless that person the sixth and final principle can be found in Romans 12 verse 18. it says if possible so far as it depends on you live peaceably with all our world loves to create division whether that be political racial or economic division however God wants us to find a way to live at peace with each other that does not mean we agree upon everything with everyone that would be impossible however as far as we can control we should have peace with those around us maybe that means we need to be the ones to pursue The Mending of broken relationships it is God honoring to make peace with those around you the principles we learn about in Romans 12 are entirely counter-culture for today's world the world tells you to put your wants and desires first to live your best life do what you want to do however in God's kingdom we put others first five out of six of these principles call you to put the needs of others first whether that means you love them despite their hatred or seek to reconcile with someone with whom there is a conflict you and I must be quick to seek peace with others we must be quick to let go and move on from offense we must be quick to forgive and so in summary your best life is actually the life in which you put others before yourself in the same way that Christ did for you the Amplified translation of Romans 12 verse 2 gives a detailed account of what we need as the children of God the Bible says and do not be conformed to this world any longer with its superficial values and customs but be transformed and progressively changed as you mature spiritually by the renewing of your mind focusing on Godly values and ethical attitudes so that you may prove for yourselves what the will of God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect in his plan and purpose for you foreign [Music]