4Christ suffered in his body. So get ready as a soldier does. Prepare yourselves to think in the same way Christ did. Do it because those who have suffered in their bodies are finished with sin. ²As a result, they don’t live the rest of their lives on earth controlled by evil human longings. Instead, they live to do what God wants.

³You have spent enough time in the past doing what ungodly people choose to do. You lived a wild life. You longed for evil things. You got drunk. You went to wild parties. You worshiped statues of gods. The Lord hates that.

⁴Ungodly people think that it’s strange when you no longer join them in what they do. They want you to rush into the same flood of wasteful living. So they say bad things about you.

⁵But they will have to explain their actions to God. He is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶That’s why the good news was preached even to people who are now dead. Human judges said they were guilty as far as their bodies were concerned. But God set their spirits free to live as he wanted them to.

⁷The end of all things is near. So keep a clear mind. Control yourselves. Then you can pray. ⁸Most of all, love one another deeply. Love erases many sins by forgiving them. ⁹Welcome others into your homes without complaining.

¹⁰God’s gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully. ¹¹If you speak, you should do it like one speaking God’s very words. If you serve, you should do it with the strength God provides. Then in all things God will be praised through Jesus Christ.

Give him the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

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