Life in God’s service – A prayer of Reconciliation

God calls us friends...

He asks us to remember the great mercy He has toward us... He makes appeals to us…

Offer ourselves as a “living sacrifice” to him… dedicated to “His” service, pleasing to “Him”

True worship being offered?

Don't conform ourselves to the standard of this world, but let him transform us in our inward parts… completely changed in our minds (Can this teach us reconciliation?)

Then we will know the will of our Father God… reconciled to him and each other.

So that

What is good

Is pleasing to him

And is perfect

Because of God’s gracious gift to me - to you, I say to us ALL...

Don’t think of ourselves more highly than we should...

But be modest in the way we think of ourselves...

Judge ourselves according to the level of faith that God has given us.

There are many parts in our one body… and all these parts have different functions

Together we are many... We are one body united with Christ... Joined to each other as a different part of the body.

He is asking us to use our different gifts, transforming his grace that he has given… Let’s be thankful to him.

Some of those gifts that we have:

To speak the messages using the gifts he has given us... according to our faith

Serving – then serve

Teaching – then teach

Encouragement – then do that

Sharing – do it generously

Gift of authority – work hard at it

Kindness – do it cheerfully

and love – it should be sincere...

Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good in all parts of our life

Love one another warmly as Christ’s followers

And eagerly show respect for one another

Work hard, don't be lazy

Serve him, our Lord, with a heart full of devotion.

Let our hope keep us joyful

Being patient in our trouble and pray always...

Share our belongings with our needy ones and open our homes to strangers

Ask him to bless the ones that persecute us, yes, and we are to ask him to bless and not curse

Be happy with the happy ones and cry with the ones who cry...

We pray with the same concern for everyone...

We pray we don't be proud but accept humble duties...

We pray, for we don’t think of ourselves as wise...

Lord, we pray that if someone has done us wrong that we don’t repay them with wrong.

We try to do good and pray we do everything possible to live in peace with everyone and never take revenge, but instead let God do it…

His word says “I will take revenge, I will pay back...” and his word says, feed your enemies if they hunger... and give them a drink if they are thirsty... Because when we do this we cause them to burn with shame...

We pray don’t let evil defeat us, instead conquer evil with good...!

All these actions and changes in ourselves are a road to reconciliation that we haven't really travelled well before in this nation.

Amen, so let it be

He is asking us and teaching us... Let this be our prayer.

His words are not just words – we really want reconciliation... Put these words into our actions, our lives… I know that because I do this or I would still be angry, vengeful me...

Father God Bless us!