Too Good to Not Share

We can learn so much from everyone around us - if we are willing. God puts people and places in our life for purposes. This posting hit me. It's a lesson she learned and one I needed. (want to read more? follow the link for Durango Palmers on the lower right hand column.)

Romans 12:2 in the Message says,

Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity. God brings out the best in you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

1) So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does foryou is the best thing you can do for Him.
2) Fix your attention on God. Recognize what He wantsfrom you and quickly respond to it.
3) It's important that you not misinterpret ourselves aspeople who are bringing this goodness to God.No, God brings it all to you.
4) The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what He does for us, not by what we are and what we do for Him.
5) Each of us find our meaning and function as part of His body.
6) So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
7) If you preach, preach God's Message, nothing more.
8) If you help, just help, don't take over.
9) If you teach, stick to teaching
10) If you give encouraging guidance,be careful you don't get bossy
11) If you're put in charge, don't manipulate.
12) If you're called to give aid to people in distress,keep your eyes open and be quick to respond.
13) if you work with the disadvantaged,don't let yourself get irritated with themor depressed by them
14) Keep a smile on your face.
15) Love from the center of who you are. Don't fake it.
16) Run for dear life from evil.
17) Hold on for dear life to good.
18) Be good friends who love deeply.
19) Practice playing second fiddle
20) Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame.
21) Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant.
22) Don't quit in hard times.
23) Pray all the harder.
24) Help needy Christians.
25) Be inventive in hospitality.
26) Bless your enemies - no cursing under your breath.
27) Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy.
28) Share tears when they're down.
29) Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.
30) Don't hit back 31) Discover beauty in everyone.
32) Get along with everybody.
33) Don't insist on getting even.
34) If you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch.
35) If he's thirsty, get him a drink.
36) Don't let evil get the best of you - - get the best of evil!