240929-Bible-TheGoal-ToBe.htm

F5
6:42 PM 9/29/2024

The goal, again? To be a people for God's own possession.

For example, see
Exodus 19:
5 'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;
6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'
These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."

The result? To have been tested and refined and ready for eternity with God through Jesus Christ, to participate in God's eternal purposes.

The process? This crucible we call life, with all there is to explore and to learn, especially for each of us to learn how to properly treat one another.

The "common denominators"? Selfless love, courage, hope, faith.

. Selfless love is not just for times of high stress or for "hero moments", but a growing consistency in valuing other people*, even at great cost to yourself.
. Courage is also an enduring characteristic.
. Hope overflows in the onward drive for a better future.
. Faith is a steadfast trust in the Truth that is greater than yourself, resulting in your actions based upon more than you perceive with your five physical senses.

2024-09-29 21:02:43
Also see
1 Corinthians 13:
13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
(NASB77)

The combination of these characteristics exemplifies a mature human, male and female.

2024-09-29 21:02:52
Also see
Ephesians 4:
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
(NASB77)

The problem? Who do people often focus on? Gratifying themselves.
Unfortunately, some of that is culture-driven. We do not choose in which time we are born, but both culture and location seek to define us, yet these are secondary.

When enough people do a certain thing, it becomes an accepted cultural norm.
Some warriors eat the heart of their kill, to demonstrate their prowess in battle and mastery over their prey.
If a crowd gathers at an unexpected event, the crowd gets bigger as more people are drawn by curiosity to the size of the crowd.

However, the above "common denominators" persist in any culture, in any location, in any generation, and these combined should be what defines us as human.

NOTES:
*-"Valuing other people at great expense to yourself" I believe personifies the character of God's love and His work ethic towards us, and I think is one of God's goals FOR us, and about which I also wrote a brief first draft yesterday morning 9/28/24. See my revised draft,
240928-Be-like-God.htm,
from my rough draft
240928-Be-like-God.txt.

I was joyful when the church pastor Ed Eddingfield coincidentally used this same phrase "value people" in this morning's 9/29 sermon!
FSBC First Service 240929-0830a.
His sermon starts at 00:38:18.

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