{{2017_02_15_t1.jpg}} {{2017_02_15_t2.jpg}} {{2017_02_15_t3.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2017_02_15|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_ix|| Topics Collection ix ]] ======Passions of the Flesh ...====== Wednesday, Feb 15, 2017. Humans are full of ideas, full of plans, full of desires. It is part of humanity to feel emotions, to feel joy and sadness, to try to achieve goals and to move forward to reach what you want to reach. The question is: how do we live these emotions? What are our plans, and how do we try to achieve them? Let us read a passage from 1 Peter 2: {{2017_02_15.jpg }} **Holy Nation ...** 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (from 1 Peter 2) Peter talks about holiness in the middle of life. He talks about light, about actions, plans and words which are done in the light, in a holy way. He talks about believers to be called to be one nation - the nation of those who hear their calling and who answer and believe. Faith makes you part of this community! {{ 2017_02_15_2.jpg}} **Mercy ...** > You become part of God's people by his mercy, through faith in Jesus Christ. It is a people who are called to be full of truth and full of mercy. The passion of the flesh is to forget mercy and search your advantage. The holiness of Jesus is to search the advantage of mercy. The passion of the flesh is to search goals and forget truth, the holiness of Jesus is to search truth as the central goal. To be passionate is not bad - on the contrary. We are called to be passionate about God, about holiness, about mercy, about people. Love is always passionate. But we are not called to be passionate about egoism. This is what Peter and also the apostle Paul call the passions of the flesh. Now you have received mercy, let it lead you fully! That is a core part here. You are called to be a royal priesthood - everyone of you. That means that you are called to know his mercy and truthfulness, and to live in it, to distribute it, to communicate it. Nothing more, nothing less! (Roland Potthast) [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_ix|... more texts]]