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This is a wonderful passage in the New Testament as Paul speaks to the people in the church in Corinth, Greece.

“”Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, a new life has begun!

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right though Christ.”” 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NLT)

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After Jesus taught the crowds on the at the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, He taught, many other lessons that day. In one of these sermons, His topic was about worry.

In Matthew Chapter 6, Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cant serve both God and money.

This is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

And why worry about our clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow.They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all is glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for the wildflowers that are here today and thrown in to the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

So don’t worry about these things, saying ‘What will we eat: What will we drink” What will we wear? ‘ These things dominate the minds of unbelievers , but your heavenly Father already knows your needs. See the Kingdom of God and He will give you everything you need.

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:24-34
(New Living Translation)

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Here are a few excerpts from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians where he discusses unity in the body of Christ and living as children of light.

“Therefore, I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, been you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because our your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, biding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father, who is one all and in all and living through all. ” Ephesians 4:1-6 (NLT)

“Stop telling lies. Let us all tell our neighbors the truth, for we all are parts of the same body. And don’t let the son go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Ephesians 4:25-26 (NLT)

“An do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Git rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all type of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God though Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 30-32 (NLT)

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The following passages are found in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians in Chapter 4.

“Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us the new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest knows this.”

“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness, has made this light shine in our hearts so we cold know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This make it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”

“That is why we never give up. Tough our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last vey long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them an will last forever. So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the thing we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

2 Corinthians 4:1-2; 6-7; 16-18 (New Living Translation)

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These are two Psalms I have committed to memory. I learned them in the New King James Version, but I have used the New Living Translation below. These are two Scriptures that I commit to in my daily devotion.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” Psalm 51:10-12 (NLT)

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Printout anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 135:23-14 (NLT)

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Once a month, we teach kids at our church on Sunday. The lesson was: Jesus Anointed in Bethany. We wanted the kids to understand the term and did some research. I did not fully understand the term and learned as well.

Olive oil or a perfume is was used to anoint a person who was set apart for a special purpose. This was a Jewish custom. King David was such an example as explained in 1 Samuel and Psalms.

“So a David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took a flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.” 1 Samuel 16:13 (NLT)

“I have found my servant David. I have anointed him with My holy oil. I will steady him with My hand; with My powerful arm I will make him strong…..My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him and by My authority he will grow in power.” Psalm 89:20-21, 24 (NLT)

When we become Christians, the Lord spiritually anoints us with the Holy Spirit, setting us apart for His special purpose as we become more like Jesus. Paul describes this in his second letter to the Corinthians. “It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and He has identified us as His own by placing the Holy Spirit in our heart as the first installment that guarantees everything He has promised us.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NLT)

After Jesus was baptized, Matthew describes the Holy Spirit resending upon Him. “After his baptism, Jesus came up out to the water, the heavens were opened and he was the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy.” Matthew 3:16-17 (NLT)

When Jesus was teaching from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth, Luke says this: “The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives all be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Luke 4:17-19 (NLT)

Jesus’s anointing at Bethany is mentioned in three of the four Gospels (Matthew 26, Mark 14 and John 12). Here is the description in John 12.
“Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus-the man He had raised from the dead. A diner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served and Lazarus was month those who ate with Him. Then Mary took twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from the essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

But Judas Iscariot, the disciple would soon betray Him said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor-he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me.” John 12:1-8 (NLT)

Before the Bible Story, I had arranged several different scents for the kids to smell. Between each sniff test, I read to them the Bible verses that I described above. Then my husband told the above story (with an illustration) in words that the kids might better understand the message of the story. The kids seemed to understand and answered many of the our follow-up Bible Story questions.

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This chapter is a favorite of mine.

“I look up to the mountain- does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!

Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
The Lord , Himself watches over you! The lord stands beside you as your protective shade.

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your live.

The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
(New Living Translation)

The Fruit of the Spirit can be found in Galatians Chapter 5. Before Paul lists the fruit (not fruits, but collectively as fruit), he discusses letting the Holy Spirit guiding our lives. Living by following the Holy Spirit’s guidance draws us away from living a sinful nature. Paul goes on to say that the forces of good and evil are always at odds with each other and it makes it hard for us to do good. Some of the desires of our sinful nature includes quarreling, jealousy, hostility, anger, selfishness, envy.

Then Paul directs us to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. “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!” Galatians 5:22-23 (New Living Translation)

Paul goes on to say, ” Those who belong to Christ have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. 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. ” Galatians 24-26 (New Living Translation)