(1 Peter 2:9 NIV) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession …
(Genesis 1:27 NIV) So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them;
Matthew 22:36-39 paraphrase: Love God with everything AND love your neighbor to the same degree you love you.
(Galatians 5:13-26 NLT) For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
1. Learn to Fight
Conflict delayed is conflict multiplied!
(Galatians 2:11 NLT) But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.
2. Don’t Take Everything
(1 Corinthians 13:5 TLB) Love is never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.
(Psalm 119:165 KJV) Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
(Colossians 4:6 NIV) Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
3. The Posture of
(Ephesians 5:22 NIV) Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.
4. The Posture of
(Ephesians 5:25 TLB) And you husbands, show the same kind of love to your wives as Christ showed to the Church when he died for her.