Book of Common Prayer

I Urge You To Present Your Bodies To God As a Living Sacrifice, And Renew Your Mind

12 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the compassions^[a] of God, to present^[b] your bodies as a living holy sacrifice pleasing to God, as your spiritual^[c] worship^[d]. ² And do not be conformed^[e] to this age^[f], but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may be approving what^[g] is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

Think Sound-Mindedly About Yourself As God Has Apportioned You The Faith

³ For I say to everyone being among you through the grace having been given to me not to be thinking-highly of yourself beyond what you ought-to think, but to be thinking so as to be sound-minded, as God apportioned^[h] to each a measure^[i] of faith.

For We Are One Body In Christ. Use The Gifts And Faith God Has Given You

⁴ For just as we have many body-parts in one body and all the body-parts do not have the same function, ⁵ in this manner we the many are one body in Christ, and individually body-parts of one another. ⁶ And having different grace-gifts according-to the grace having been given to us, exercise them accordingly^[j]: whether prophecy, in accordance with the proportion^[k] of your faith^[l]; ⁷ or service^[m], in-the-sphere-of ^[n] your service^[o]; or the one teaching, in the sphere of your teaching^[p]; ⁸ or the one exhorting^[q], in the sphere of your exhortation^[r]; the one giving, with^[s] generosity^[t]; the one leading^[u], with diligence; the one showing-mercy, with cheerfulness.

Think And Diligently Act In Love, Faith, And Holiness

⁹ I say^[v] to let your love be sincere^[w], while abhorring the evil, clinging^[x] to the good; ¹⁰ to be affectionate^[y] to one another in brotherly-love, preferring^[z] one another in honor; ¹¹ to not be hesitant in diligence; to be boiling in spirit, serving the Lord, ¹² rejoicing in hope, enduring in affliction, devoting-yourselves to prayer, ¹³ sharing in the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality. ¹⁴ Be blessing the ones persecuting you— be blessing and not cursing^[aa]. ¹⁵ I say to rejoice with rejoicing ones, to weep with weeping ones; ¹⁶ to be thinking the same thing toward one another, not thinking lofty^[ab] things, but being carried-along-with^[ac] the lowly^[ad] (do not be wise among yourselves); ¹⁷ to be giving-back evil for evil to no one; to be providing-for^[ae] good things in the sight of all people, ¹⁸ living-in-peace with all people if possible— as far as from you; ¹⁹ to not be avenging yourselves, beloved, but give a place to the wrath of God. For it has been written: “Vengeance is for Me, I will repay, says the Lord” [Deut 32:35]. ²⁰ “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give-a-drink to him. For doing this, you will heap coals of fire upon his head” [Prov 25:21-22]. ²¹ Do not be overcome by^[af] evil, but be overcoming evil with good.

Jesus Speaks To The Crowd With a Parable

8 And it came about during the successive days that He was traveling-through according to city and village, proclaiming and announcing the kingdom of God as good news. And the twelve were with Him, ² and some women who had been cured from evil spirits and infirmities— Mary, the one being called Magdalene^[a], from whom seven demons had come out, ³ and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward^[b], and Susanna, and many others, who were serving them out of their possessions. ⁴ And while a large crowd was gathering, and the ones from every city were coming to Him, He spoke with a parable—

The Sower’s Seed Falls On Different Kinds of Soil. Only The Good Soil Produces Fruit

⁵ “The one sowing went out that he might sow his seed. And during his sowing some seed fell along the road. And it was trampled-underfoot. And the birds of the heaven ate it up. ⁶ And other seed fell-down on the bed-rock. And having grown, it was dried-up because of not having moisture. ⁷ And other seed fell in the middle of the thorns. And the thorns, having grown-with it, choked it. ⁸ And other seed fell into the fertile soil. And having grown, it produced fruit, a hundred-fold”. While saying these things, He was calling, “Let the one having ears to hear, hear”.

Jesus Explains The Purpose of Parables And The Meaning of The Sower

⁹ And His disciples were asking Him what this parable might mean. ¹⁰ And the One said— “It has been given to you to know^[c] the mysteries of the kingdom of God. But I speak in parables to the others in order that while seeing they may not be seeing, and while hearing, they may not be understanding. ¹¹ Now the parable means this: the seed is the word of God. ¹² And the people along the road are the ones having heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart in order that they may not be saved, having believed. ¹³ And the people on the bed-rock are ones who are welcoming the word with joy when they hear it. And these do not have a root— they are ones who are believing for a time, and are departing^[d] in a time of testing^[e]. ¹⁴ And the seed having fallen into the thorns— these people are the ones having heard, and while proceeding are being choked by the anxieties^[f] and riches and pleasures of life. And they are not bringing-fruit-to-maturity. ¹⁵ And the seed in the good soil— these people are ones who, having heard the word in a good and fertile heart, are holding-on-to it and bearing-fruit with endurance.