Good morning church,
Today I wish to share on Love in action
Romans 12:9-20King James Version (KJV)
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.V9- Let your love be GENUINE It's obvious you can't love people you don't interact with or you know. But among the ones you do, please let it be sincere , and not just outwards. I'd rather two people who love me sincerely than a 100 who feign love. Hate evil. We all have a very good idea of what evil is and what it is not. Prov8:19 defines fearing God as hating evil.
V10- outdo each other at honoring others. Humans are naturally competitive. Younger people are comparing who has better jobs, better and newer car, more investments. Mothers also keep on comparing. Who has cuter kids, more well behaved, more 'intelligent'....for once stop comparing your brother's worst with your best, look to their best in itself. Esteem them as better than you. This keeps your envy at bay.
V11-negroes need to work harder. This is Christian ethics; hard work, not indolence. One thing I admire about Western civilization is their strong work ethics. And more importantly in serving God
V12-Christianity is always forward looking, we are always hopeful of meeting Christ. And there will be tribulations, persecutions, no escaping. This calls for patience. And of course prayer. Pray, pray, pray. Note that the things we are asked to do are the ones we are naturally inclined against.
V13- quite clear
V14-be charitable. Give. Somebody once remarked that when you work so hard to acquire something, you get irrationally attached to it. This may be a reason why successful coup plotters are lifers often to their detriment. Anything you haven't worn in 6 months you don't need. Give it out. Pay somebody's fare at your church, bless somebody with some shopping. I saw this story of a woman who wanted to buy eggs worth $1.75 and she had just $1.5. So she attempted to steal. She was caught, arrested and released. The cops surprised here with shopping and she was all tears. You can't change poverty levels by charity but you sure can make a difference in somebody.
V15-empathize, step out of your bubble into another's. This life should not just be about me,myself and I.
V16-walk in one accord. You don't have to quarrel. Respect the have-nots. It saddens me that churches keep on esteeming mega-givers over the broke guys. They have nice padded seats for them. They recognize them,ushered them in and out, pastas call them, visit them, and they functions but e average broke negro is largely a statistic.
In the interest of brevity, allow me to stop at that. But please make a point of studying the remaining verses. Am always impressed by how Paul could hit some theological highs and some practical Christianity lows and everything between them. Christianity is not all about abstract concepts, it is relational. You can't love God you can't see more than the man made in His image who you can see. Shalom
Have a blessed Lord's and Father's Day as we worship the first begotten of the the dead(Rev 1:5)
Topic: Let's Pray (Read 7115 times)