Recently God has brought to my attention a passage of Romans. I am sure that I have read this passage countless times since I became a follower of Jesus Christ but for some reason now, today, these verses are speaking through a bull horn directed in my direction. I think the reason that I never took much notice of them before is because they are so jam-packed full of dos and don'ts that I have become overwhelmed. But I know that with God's help breaking them down will make them more obtainable.
Romans 12:9-21
Let love be genuine.
Genuine: true, real, actual, undisputed, no-strings-attached. We are to have this sort of love, a 'genuine' love for not only God, but also others and ourselves. The only way to exhibit a no-strings-attached love is to break down any walls and masks that we have put up to protect our selves from others. It is time to start being genuine with God, others and ourselves.
Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Abhor: despise, regard with disgust, shrink away from. We are to turn our back's away from any evil and instead 'hold fast', with a white-knucked grip, to all that is good. Think of how better the world would be if we all held fast to the good and turned our back to what is evil!
Love one another with brotherly affection.
We are to love one another as if a brother. Through the bickering, laughs, adventures and torment siblings will always be that...siblings bonded by love and blood.
Outdo one another in showing honor.
Honor: integrity, honesty, uprightness, ethics, morals, principles, virtue, goodness, decency, character, fairness, trustworthiness, reliability, dependability. We are taught growing up that outdoing someone has both negative and positive consequences depending on what it is that we are outdoing them in. But if we make it a point to only outdo others in showing honor than we become more and more like Jesus.
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in sprit, serve the Lord.
Zeal: passion, love, fervor, fire, devotion, enthusiasm, gusto, intensity. We are to no be slow but instead let our passion and devotion take off, being fervent (sincere, zealous) in sprit and our service to the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
We are to always be happy and rejoicing in the hope that we have in Christ and our future with Him. We are to be patient in our tribulations (problems, worries, afflictions). The best way to do that is to be constant in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
We are to contribute (donate, grant) the needs of the saints (fellow believers) and go out of our way to show them hospitality (kindness, generosity, courtesy). This requires us to open our eyes and look past our needs to see how we can help others.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
As much as it pains us sometimes we are still called to bless (give thanks and be gracious to) those who persecute us. We are to be the better person and rise above the circumstance. It may seem easier to curse them and turn our backs on them but, as Christians, we are called to love as Christ loved.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who week.
We are called to celebrate with those who are celebrating and mourn with those who are going through hard times. We are called to be there for others.
Live in harmony with one another.
Living in harmony with one another, this does not always mean that we like them but we have to put on our 'big-girl' panties, so to speak, and deal with it.
Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
Haughty: proud, arrogant, vain, conceited, snobbish, patronizing, big-headed. We are to put ourself aside and befriend and connect with the lowly.
Never give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
We should never think twice about doing something that is honorable in the sight of others. In today's world, this happens far too often. The norm of today is dis-honorable, so to stand out in a crowd and do the honorable is looked at with shifty eyes. But the real question becomes, who are you trying to impress? Men of this world or your Father and Creator?
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
We are called to live peaceable with all. I love that God puts the ball in our court on this one. In order to keep peace with those around us, everyone acts differently. Some deal with the problem, other avoid it, etc. And God knows that sometimes, on our own, living peaceably is not an option; hence the 'if possible so far as it depends on you' but that is when God can step in and be our mediator and peacemaker.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, freed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."
We are never to take revenge into our own hands. This is hard because our first instinct tends to be, "You'll regret that!!!!" But God can avenge us so much better than we could ever image. Instead we called to turn the other cheek and cater to our enemy through hospitality and love. God says that this is like heaping burning coals on their heads.
Growing up, my sister and I would fight all of the time. When she would say, "I hate you!" I would always respond with "well... I love you!!!" This would absolutely drive her nuts. I didn't do it to drive her nuts but it is similar to turning the other cheek in this verse.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Overcome: defeat, conquer, trounce, overwhelm, overpower, triumph over, prevail over, outdo, demolish. We are to defeat evil with good. This may be hard but if we are focusing on the good, instead of the evil, then our vision will become one full of blessings. It is equivalent to putting on our 'rose-colored glasses' so to speak. If we put on our blessings glasses we will live in such a way where evil has no place and joyousness abounds.
From infancy to adulthood we are constantly faced with others telling us what we should be, act like, feel, etc. This is something that, no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to get away from. The real question is who will you listen to?
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