Romans 12:9-16 English Standard Version
Marks of the True Christian
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,[a] serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.[b] Never be wise in your own sight.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Living in Harmony Is Necessary …. Or living in Harmony is Irrelevant
Wise believers acknowledge when Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34), this was not simply a suggestion for getting along.
So too, the Bible’s commands exactly how we are all summoned by God to treat one another and such commands from God should not be considered optional.
That’s not the nature of God’s commands.
As Christ’s followers, we must remember how our relationship with God affects our relationships with each other.
When we pray, “Our Lord’s Prayer” we begin to pray to our ABBA our Father, acknowledging that we are part of a family that includes sisters and brothers.
We’re called to live in harmony together.
Today’s reading mentions specific ways of doing so, such as honoring one another above ourselves, holding to what is good, praying faithfully, sharing with people in need, showing utmost hospitality, and not being proud.
When believers live in harmony, expressing their love for one another by sharing tears in times of sorrow, expanding their joy by celebrating together, they become appealing witnesses to their hope in Christ.
When a coworker observes, “It’s amazing how you guys love each other,” the cause of Christ moves forward.
Jesus taught this when he prayed that all believers “may be one” and “may be brought to complete unity.
Then, “he said to the Father, the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:22-23).
In practical terms, how do we learn to love others as Christ loves us?
John writes, “Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.’ When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was” (John 11:3-6).
At first glance you may think,
“But I thought Jesus loved them — why would he not rush to help?”
In fact, maybe you have asked that question many times regarding your own life.
“Why aren’t You answering my prayers, Lord? Why is my situation still the same? Where are You, Lord? I need You now!”
God’s love is agape love — it’s a love that gives people what God alone knows is necessary in the situation and brings about God’s greater purpose and his glory.
In this situation with Lazarus, Jesus did not tarry because he didn’t love him or care that he would die.
Jesus waited because there was a higher purpose at work — the glorifying of God and the witness to all those around that he truly was the Messiah, the very Redeemer for whom they had so desperately been looking to come for decades.
Now, that’s amazing!
Lazarus had to die for the glory of God to be revealed in and through his life.
As we love people the way God loves us, we have a deep inner trust in God that no matter what they are going through, the Lord remains in absolute control of the situation and will be glorified.
Agape love moves to treat all people with understanding and compassion, not compulsion.
If I love you, there’s a time to speak, and there’s a time to be silent. There’s a time to have an opinion and there’s a time to say nothing. There’s a time to let the Holy Spirit say, “This door is not open; so do not speak in this situation.”
We need to implicitly trust God with those we love by putting them into his hands, entrusting them to him, no matter what it looks like to our eyes.
God will call these people at the appropriate time out of the grave of their experience.
True love — God’s love working in and through us — has this ability.
9-10 Love from the centre of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fuelled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
Out of that passage here are a couple of my favorite statements ……
- Practice playing second fiddle
- Don’t burn out: keep yourself fuelled and aflame
- Cheerfully expectant
- Be inventive in hospitality
- Laugh with your happy friends
- Discover beauty in everybody
- Your generosity will surprise him with goodness
Powerful and inspiring thoughts.
Now to put them in action …..
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Praying ….
The Steadfast Love of the Lord
33 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 