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Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The
Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 32.
and so, dear brothers and sisters, I
plead with you to give your bodies to
God because of all he has done for you.
Let them be a living and holy sacrifice,
the kind he will find acceptable.
This is truly the way to worship him.
Don't copy the behavior and
customs of this world, but let God
transform you into a new person.
By changing the way you think, then
you will learn to know God's will
for you, which is good and pleasing
and perfect because of the privilege
and authority God has given me.
I give each of you this warning, I don't
think you are better than you really are.
Be honest in your evaluation of
yourselves, measuring yourselves
by the faith God has given us.
Just as our bodies have many parts
and each part has a special function.
So it is with Christ's body.
We are many parts of one body
and we all belong to each other.
In his grace, God has given us different
gifts for doing certain things well.
So if God has given you the ability
to prophesy, speak out with as
much faith as God has given you.
If your gift is serving
others, serve them well.
If you are a teacher, teach well,
if your gift is to encourage others.
Be encouraging.
If it is giving.
Give generously.
If God has given you leadership ability,
take the responsibility seriously.
And if you have a gift for showing
kindness to others, do it gladly.
Don't just pretend to love others.
Really love them.
Hate what is wrong.
Hold tightly to what is good.
Love each other with genuine affection
and take delight in honoring each other.
Never be lazy, but work hard and
serve the Lord enthusiastically.
Rejoice in our confident hope.
Be patient in trouble and keep on praying.
When God's people are in
need, be ready to help them.
Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you.
Don't curse them.
Pray that God will bless them.
Be happy with those who are happy
and weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with each other.
Don't be too proud to enjoy the
company of ordinary people and
don't think you know it all.
Never pay back evil with more evil.
Do things in such a way that
everyone can see you are honorable.
Do all that you can to live
in peace with everyone.
Dear friends, never take revenge.
Leave that to the righteous anger of God.
For the scriptures say,
I will take revenge.
I will pay them back, says the Lord.
Instead.
If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give
them something to drink.
In doing this, You will heap burning
coals of shame on their heads.
Don't let evil conquer you but
conquer evil by doing good.
Everyone must submit to governing
authorities for all authority comes
from God, and those in positions of
authority have been placed there by God.
So anyone who rebels against authority
is rebelling against what God has
instituted and they will be punished.
For the authorities.
Do not strike fear in people who are doing
right, but in those who are doing wrong.
Would you like to live without
fear of the authorities?
Do what is right and they will honor you.
The authorities are God's servants send
for your good, but if you are doing
wrong, of course you should be afraid
for they have the power to punish you.
They are God's servants sent for
the very purpose of punishing
those who do what is wrong.
So you must submit to them not
only to avoid punishment, but
also to keep a clear conscience.
Pay your taxes too for these same reasons
for government workers need to be paid.
They are serving God in what they do.
Give to everyone what you owe them.
Pay your taxes and government fees to
those who collect them and give respect
and honor to those who are in authority.
Owe nothing to anyone.
Except for your obligation
to love one another.
If you love your neighbor, you will
fulfill the requirements of God's law.
For the commandments, say you must not
commit adultery, you must not murder.
You must not steal, you must not covet.
These and other such commandments are
summed up in this one commandment.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Love does no wrong to others.
So love fulfills the
requirements of God's law.
This is all the more urgent
for you know, how late it is.
Time is running out.
Wake up for our salvation is nearer
now than when we first believed.
The night is almost gone.
The day of salvation will soon be here.
So remove your dark deeds, like
dirty clothes and put on the
shining armor of right living.
Because we belong to the day, we must
live decent lives for all to see.
Don't participate in the darkness
of wild parties and drunkenness, or
in sexual promiscuity and immoral
living, or in quarreling and jealousy
in instead, clove yourself with the
presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And don't let yourself think about
ways to indulge your evil desires.
Accept other believers who are weak in
faith and don't argue with them about
what they think is right or wrong.
For instance, one person believes
it's all right to eat anything but
another believer with a sensitive
conscience will eat only vegetables.
Those who feel free to eat anything
must not look down on those who
don't, and those who don't eat
certain foods must not condemn.
Those who do for God has accepted them.
Who are you to condemn
someone else's servants?
Their own master will judge whether
they stand or fall, and with the
Lord's help, they will stand and
receive his approval in the same way.
Some think one day is more
holy than another day, while
others think every day is alike.
You should each be fully convinced that
whichever day you choose is acceptable.
Those who worship the
Lord on a special day.
Do it to honor him.
Those who eat any kind of food do
so to honor the Lord since they
give thanks to God before eating.
And those who refuse to eat certain
foods, also want to please the Lord and
give thanks to God for we don't live
for ourselves or die for ourselves.
If we live, it's to honor the Lord.
And if we die, it's to honor the Lord.
So whether we live or die,
we belong to the Lord.
Christ died and rose again for
this very purpose to be Lord, both
of the living and of the dead.
So why do you condemn another believer?
Why do you look down on another believer?
Remember, we will all stand before the
judgment seat of God for the scriptures,
say, as surely as I live says the Lord.
Every knee will bend to me and every
tongue will declare allegiance to God.
Yes, each of us will give
a personal account to God.
So let's stop condemning each other.
Decide instead to live in such a
way that you will not cause another
believer to stumble and fall.
I know and am convinced on the
authority of the Lord Jesus, that no
food in and of itself is wrong to eat.
But if someone believes it is wrong,
then for that person it is wrong.
And if another believer is distressed by
what you eat, you are not acting in love.
If you eat it, don't let your eating
ruin someone for whom Christ died.
Then you will not be criticized
for doing something you believe is
good for the kingdom of God is not
a matter of what we eat or drink,
but of living a life of goodness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
If you serve Christ with this
attitude, you will please God and
others will approve of you too.
So then let us aim for harmony in the
church and try to build each other up.
Don't tear apart the work
of God over what you eat.
Remember, all foods are acceptable,
but it is wrong to eat something
if it makes another person stumble.
It is better not to eat meat or drink
wine or do anything else if it might
cause another believer to stumble.
You may believe there's nothing
wrong with what you're doing, but
keep it between yourself and God.
Blessed are those who don't
feel guilty for doing something
they have decided is right.
But if you have doubts about whether
or not you should eat something, you
are sinning if you go ahead and do it.
For you are not following
your convictions.
If you do anything you believe
is not right, you are sinning.
We who are strong must be
considerate of those who are
sensitive about things like this.
We must not just please ourselves, we
should help others do what is right
and build them up in the Lord for
even Christ didn't live to please
himself as the scriptures say.
The insults of those who insult
you, oh God, have fallen on me.
Such things were written in the scriptures
long ago to teach us, and the scriptures
give us hope and encouragement as we
wait patiently for God's promises to
be fulfilled, make God who gives this
patience and encouragement help you live
in complete harmony with each other as
is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.
Then all of you can join together with
one voice giving praise and glory to
God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, accept each other just
as Christ has accepted you, so
that God will be given glory.
Remember that Christ came as a servant
to the Jews to show that God is true to
the promises he made to their ancestors.
He also came so that the Gentiles might
give glory to God for his mercies to them.
That is what the psalmist
meant when he wrote.
For this, I will praise
you among the Gentiles.
I will sing praises to your name
and in another place it is written.
Rejoice with his people, you, gentiles,
and yet again, praise the Lord.
All you Gentiles praise him.
All you people of the earth.
And in another place, Isaiah said,
the heir to David's throne will come
and he will rule over the Gentiles.
They will place their hope on him.
I pray that God, the source of hope
will fill you completely with joy
and peace because you trust in him.
Then you will overflow with confident
hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
I am fully convinced my dear brothers and
sisters, that you are full of goodness.
You know these things so well.
You can teach each other all about them.
Even so, I have been bold enough to write
about some of these points, knowing that
all you need is this reminder for by
God's grace, I am a special messenger
from Christ Jesus to you, Gentiles.
I bring you the good news so that I might
present you as an acceptable offering
to God made Holy by the Holy Spirit.
So I have reason to be enthusiastic
about all Christ Jesus has done
through me in my service to God.
Yet I dare not boast about anything except
what Christ has done through me bringing
the Gentiles to God by my message,
and by the way, I worked among them.
They were convinced by the power
of miraculous signs and wonders,
and by the power of God's spirit.
In this way, I have fully presented
the good news of Christ from
Jerusalem all the way to Ium.
My ambition has always been to
preach the good news where the name
of Christ has never been heard,
rather than where a church has
already been started by someone else.
I have been following the plans spoken
of in the scriptures where it says,
those who have never been told about
him will see, and those who have
never heard of him will understand.
In fact, my visit to you has been
delayed so long because I have been
preaching in these places, but now
I have finished my work in these
regions, and after all these long years
of waiting, I'm eager to visit you.
I'm planning to go to Spain, and
when I do, I will stop off in Rome.
And after I have enjoyed your
fellowship for a little while,
you can provide for my journey.
But before I come, I must go to
Jerusalem to take a gift to the
believers there for you see, the
believers in Macedonia and Acaia have
eagerly taken up an offering for the
poor among the believers in Jerusalem.
They were glad to do this because they
feel they owe a real debt to them.
Since the Gentiles received the
spiritual blessings of the good news
from the believers in Jerusalem,
they feel the least they can do in
return is to help them financially.
As soon as I have delivered this money
and completed this good deed of theirs,
I will come to see you on my way to Spain
and I am sure that when I come, Christ
will richly bless our time together.
Dear brothers and sisters.
I urge you in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, to join in my
struggle by praying to God for me.
Do this because of your love for
me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.
Pray that I will be rescued from
those in Judea who refuse to obey God.
Pray also that the believers there
will be willing to accept the
donation I'm taking to Jerusalem.
Then by the will of God, I
will be able to come to you.
With a joyful heart and we will
be an encouragement to each other.
And now may God who gives us
his peace be with you all.
Amen.
I commend to you our sister Phoebe,
who is a deacon in the church in Cria,
welcome her in the Lord as one who is
worthy of honor among God's people,
help her in whatever she needs for.
She has been helpful to
many and especially to me.
Give my greetings to Priscilla
and Aquila, my coworkers in
the ministry of Christ Jesus.
In fact, they once risked
their lives for me.
I'm thankful to them and so
are the Gentile churches.
Also give my greetings to the church
that meets in their home greet.
My dear friend, Aus, he was the
first person from the province of
Asia to become a follower of Christ.
Give my greetings to Mary, who has
worked so hard for your benefit.
Greet Andika Sanjun, my fellow
Jews who were in prison with me.
They are highly respected among the
apostles and became followers of Christ.
Before I did greet Amples, my dear friend,
in the Lord greet Urbanus are coworker
in Christ and my dear friend, sta Kiss,
greet apelli, a good man whom Christ
approves and give my greetings to the
believers from the household of Aristo.
Greet Herod, my fellow Jew.
Greet the Lord's people from
the household of Narcissus.
Give my greetings to Trina and Rifa
the Lord's workers, and to dear Persis
who has worked so hard for the Lord.
Greet Rufuss, whom the Lord picked out
to be His very own and also his dear
mother, who has been a mother to me.
Give my greetings to asynchronous
flagging Hermes Patrius, Hermes, and the
brothers and sisters who meet with them.
Give my greetings to Phil Oligos, Julia
Nira and his sister, and to Olympus and
all the believers who meet with them,
greet each other with a sacred kiss.
All the churches of Christ
send you their greetings.
And now I make one more appeal.
My dear brothers and sisters, watch
out for people who cause divisions and
upset people's faith by teaching things
contrary to what you have been taught.
Stay away from them.
Such people are not
serving Christ our Lord.
They are serving their
own personal interests.
By smooth talk and glowing words,
they deceive innocent people.
But everyone knows that you
are obedient to the Lord.
This makes me very happy.
I want you to be wise in doing right
and to stay innocent of any wrong.
The God of peace will soon
crush Satan under your feet.
May the grace of our
Lord Jesus be with you.
Timothy, my fellow worker,
sends you his greetings.
So do Lucius, Jason, and
Soci, my fellow Jews.
I tereu the one writing
this letter for Paul.
Send my greetings to as one
of the Lord's followers.
Gaius says hello to you.
He is my host and also serves
as host to the whole church.
Raus, the city treasurer, sends you his
greetings and so does our brother Corus.
Now all glory to God.
Who is able to make you strong?
Just as my good news says,
this message about Jesus Christ
has revealed his plan for you.
Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the
beginning of time, but now as the prophets
foret told and as the eternal God has
commanded, this message is made known
to all Gentiles everywhere, so that
they too might believe and obey him.
All glory to the only wise God
through Jesus Christ forever.
Amen.
This concludes today's
immer reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.