Turn on the news and you’ll be bombarded with stories designed to trigger your passions and raise your blood pressure.  News today is ratings-driven, constantly repeated, and over-hyped.  Social media isn’t any better.  We surround ourselves with like-minded people, reading like-minded posts, reinforcing and echoing our own thoughts and “righteous” indignation.  On second thought, turn off the news; unplug from social media and, instead, plug into true life—abundant life – the Source of life.  Turn to the Good News and spend some time there.  Consider replacing the time you spend listening to TV, radio, or internet news and social media with time reading and listening to The News.  Romans 12 offers some incredible words of wisdom which you won’t find as clearly on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.  Take your focus off the worldly way and place it instead on God’s way.

Leisurely, take out a Bible or click on the internet link below and read Romans, Chapter 12.  Pause, breathe, and invite the Spirit to help you take in these rich verses of wisdom. Do not be conformed to this world – be transformed by renewing your mind, by taking on the mind of Jesus!

What would tomorrow be like if we saw each other as children of the same God, our common Creator? What would happen if we did not think more highly of ourselves than of others? What if we worked to discern the incredible and incredibly different gifts God gave each one of us along with a plan for all of us to work together, with these different gifts to do God’s will? What if we practiced mutual love and competed in how much we honor one another? What if we extended hospitality, not hatred – even to our enemies and to those who persecute us? What if we overcame evil with good? That’s an echo from a chamber as large as the universe, echoes from the God who loves you UNCONDITIONALLY.

Mike

Today’s reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12&version=NRSV