Romans 12:9-21 -- “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (a favorite)
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There are a few places in the Bible where a bunch of really good things are packed into one area. The fourth chapter of Philippians, 1 John and Colossians are examples of this, in my opinion. Believe me, there are also long stretches, like the books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, where I struggle to find meaning in three whole books and dozes of chapter. It’s too bad that the writer of Ecclesiastes 6:11, who intimated “The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?” had not come before the author of the these books. However, this section from Romans is not one of those; here, less is more.
Paul seems to be writing this in a fashion that is almost a random stream of consciousness of sorts. These verses fall in a section of Romans which some translations (this one is the NIV) have entitled it “Love in Action”. To describe the gift of Love and how to transform it from being just more than a “feeling”, we see a list of all the things we can do to put our Love to work. Many of the things Paul lists are what you might call common sense: “Serve the Lord.”; “Live in harmony with one another.”; “Do not claim to be wiser than you are.”. There are others, however, which might not normally make the list of things you’d think about when describing how to put Love into action.
One of my favorites from this section is “Do not lag in zeal”. Don’t we all know that person who seems to be on fire with the Spirit 24/7? Every time we see them, they are full of joy, vibrant and alive. When a good thing happens, they are the one who cheers the loudest. These are the people we know and love who are the first on the dance floor at a party or the ones at the beginning of the line to belt out a tune at a late-night session of karaoke. They seem fearless. Their passion and zest for life is admirable, wonderful and beautifully contagious.
Another one I like is also the one I probably struggle with the most: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.”. I tend to leave this one behind all too often. Whether it is someone I struggle with at work or in another personal situation, my first inclination is not to “kill them with kindness”, as this verse directs us to do. My actions to them do not reflect Love, but are the opposite. Does this make the situation better? Will these people to become my friends by treating them as my enemy? Certainly not. This is me trying to take control over a person as opposed to letting God handle it.
So, remember, all we are asked to do is love. Give Love...be Love. When we are truly living in the Spirit and walking along God’s path and plan for us, Love abounds out of our being. Know that focusing on all of our petty challenges, trying to control outcomes and dwelling to long in sadness puts a dark veil over our light of Love. Just love, and let God take care of the rest.
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