Avoid what is evil; stick to what is good

Notes of meeting on 10 May 2016

Psalm 95
¹ Come, let us cry out with joy to Yahweh, acclaim the rock of our salvation.
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving, acclaim him with music.
³ For Yahweh is a great God, a king greater than all the gods.
⁴ In his power are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are his;

⁵ the sea belongs to him, for he made it, and the dry land, moulded by his hands.

⁶ Come, let us bow low and do reverence; kneel before Yahweh who made us!
⁷ For he is our God, and we the people of his sheepfold, the flock of his hand. If only you would listen to him today!
⁸ Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as at the time of Massah in the desert,
⁹ when your ancestors challenged me, put me to the test, and saw what I could do!
¹⁰ For forty years that generation sickened me, and I said, 'Always fickle hearts; they cannot grasp my ways.'
¹¹ Then in my anger I swore they would never enter my place of rest.

Matthew 5 v 17 - 20
¹⁷ 'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them.
¹⁸ In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved.
¹⁹ Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven.
²⁰ 'For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven.

Romans 12 v 9 - 21
⁹ Let love be without any pretence. Avoid what is evil; stick to what is good.

¹⁰ In brotherly love let your feelings of deep affection for one another come to expression and regard others as more important than yourself.

¹¹ In the service of the Lord, work not half-heartedly but with conscientiousness and an eager spirit.
¹² Be joyful in hope, persevere in hardship; keep praying regularly;
¹³ share with any of God's holy people who are in need; look for opportunities to be hospitable.
¹⁴ Bless your persecutors; never curse them, bless them.
¹⁵ Rejoice with others when they rejoice, and be sad with those in sorrow.
¹⁶ Give the same consideration to all others alike. Pay no regard to social standing, but meet humble people on their own terms. Do not congratulate yourself on your own wisdom.
¹⁷ Never pay back evil with evil, but bear in mind the ideals that all regard with respect.
¹⁸ As much as possible, and to the utmost of your ability, be at peace with everyone.
¹⁹ Never try to get revenge: leave that, my dear friends, to the Retribution. As scripture says: Vengeance is mine -- I will pay them back, the Lord promises.
²⁰ And more: If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if thirsty, something to drink. By this, you will be heaping red-hot coals on his head.
²¹ Do not be mastered by evil, but master evil with good.