Fw: good things come in three's

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Friday, March 3, 2017 7:26 AM
Subject: good things come in three's

Toward the end of the book of Romans the apostle Paul gets into practical applications for living the Christian life.  In chapter 12 he names a number of behaviors and in a few verses he groups them in triplet thoughts.  Here's the first one:

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Romans 12:^9 "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good."     ...and the next:

Romans 12:^11 "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord."       ...and finally:

Romans 12:^12 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

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It occurs to me that so much of successful living starts in the will...in the mind...in our attitudes.  All of the attitudes described here begin inside us and can serve as a checklist for the behaviors that flow from us.  They contain words of wisdom for the three primary relationships we have: with ourselves, with the Lord and with each other.  It seems that we need to look inside and check our motives and motivations.  It also seems we need help to be healthy as we "react" to crises and as we are "proactive" to impact our world.  And we must draw from the deep well of our living relationship with the Lord if we are to carry out these patterns for they are the antithesis of self centeredness and the picture of God centered living.

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They also make good verses for memory! (all three of them)

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Rob Smith