Paul gave us a to do list on how to live our lives. This devotion looks at what he advised.
Nuggets
- We need to focus on the needs of other saints first.
- Whatever emotions someone is experiencing, we are experience those, too.
- Live in harmony is the goal.
- We are to love as God loves.
Living in the world is difficult at best. It seems like a lot of us want directions that tell us how to make this world more palatable.
Luckily for us, Paul gave us a to do list to do just that. Let’s take a look.
Let's Put It into Context
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, dissimilation means “the change or omission of one of two identical or closely related sounds in a word.”
Alrighty then. We’ll just have to see how Paul uses that in a sentence.
Charity is agape (love) flavored with benevolence.
Liberality means being a cheerful, generous giver not looking for self gain.
To Do List
“Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12: 13-18 CSB).
Sometimes, I think Paul just got caught up in his subject matter. Then, he got lost in it. What he was wanting to say just came pouring out of him — sometimes above our comprehension level.
Other times, Paul gave a to do list with short, terse directions.
- Help the needy saints.
- Be hospitable.
- Don’t be enemies with your enemies.
- Whatever emotions someone is experiencing, experience those, too.
- Get along with one another.
- Bag the pride.
- Pick friends that are humble.
- Don’t be a smart aleck.
- Your actions do not depend on what other’s actions were.
- Think about what you are doing, and do what is right.
- Once again, get along with one another.
- Love without dissimulation.
I know. I was scratching my head at the last one. Don’t leave out a closely related sound of love.
Huh?
I think what Paul is trying to say was don’t hold back on love. Don’t pick and choose who you are going to love. Just do it.
Back to the top.
Paul started out saying that we need to focus on the needs of other saints first. I can see this hooking in with the “They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” verse (Ac. 2: 45 NIV). They put other disciples’ needs over their desire to hold on to material things.
While the liberality starts with other disciples, it does extend to non-believers. This includes strangers and enemies (Lyth).
Let’s roost on hospitality for a second. We think about it most times as opening up our homes to our friends.
Biblical hospitality is a bit more than that. According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, hospitality is “to entertain or receive a stranger (sojourner) into one’s home as an honored guest and to provide the guest with food, shelter, and protection.”
Ooo, baby. Someone we don’t know???
Well, think about it. It is easy to get together with people we know.
But we are to treat someone we don’t know like someone we do know.
Look back at the to do list. Paul was talking strangers, enemies, and those we come into conflict.
Paul wasn’t saying just do the easy stuff. He was saying make an impact.
Experience Emotions
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12: 15 CSB)
Whatever emotions someone is experiencing, we are experience those, too.
Oh, no. That isn’t easy.
That means we are to build relationships. That takes work.
It means we have to be involved in their lives. We need to know when they are at the peaks and in the valleys.
When my BFF would call me about something we were working on for the kid’s ministry at church, she would always end the conversations with, “How are you doing? How are you really doing?”
You see, “I’m fine. Bless your heart for asking,” wasn’t a response she would accept.
It is easy to rejoice with someone who is at the peak. It is harder to walk through the valleys with someone.
God wants us to have sympathy for others. He wants us to build relationships so that, when something happens to one, it impacts the other.
Dale described sympathy this way. He wrote, “It is not merely an ornament of character, but as essential a part of Christian life as worship.”
This ties into the second greatest commandment, which says we are to love our neighbors — that means everybody. We are to love them using God’s definition of love, not the world’s definition.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Getting Along
“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation” (Rom. 12: 16 CSB)
Don’t you love this verse. We could read this verse as live in harmony is the goal.
Oh, but wait a second. Is this how we are expected to get there?
- Bag the pride.
- Pick friends that are humble.
- Don’t be a smart aleck.
Well, aren’t we supposed to be unified? “There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope at your calling — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4: 4-6 CSB).
If we are to be unified, that means we don’t try to appear smarter than other — or more superior to them in any way. Remember what we said in the last devotion. Blencowe said we are to think they are better than us.
When we have a prideful, smart aleck disposition, we are condescending. The kicker is it may be built on assumptions — wrong assumptions.
That definitely is not imitating Christ!
God doesn’t want us to have an inflated opinion of ourselves. He wants us to focus on growing our character to be like His.
Us
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12: 17-18 CSB)
- Your actions do not depend on what other’s actions were.
- Think about what you are doing, and do what is right.
- Once again, get along with one another.
- Don’t hold back on love.
How are we supposed to live our lives? Not by this world’s standards.
We don’t give what we get. We don’t say the ends justify the means. We don’t give someone their just desserts.
We love.
We are to love as God loves.
Part of it is the Golden Rule. Our responses have been determined prior to the situations take place — we have to choose to respond the way in which God wants. The whole law is fulfilled in one word: love. We are to love our neighbors (i.e., everyone) because, when we do, we are imitating God.
That eliminates retaliation. It takes our revenge.
But look at verse 18. “If possible …” (Rom. 12: 18 CSB). God knows it always isn’t going to be possible. Can we say S-a-t-a-n?
Human nature is going to have us wanting retaliation, wanting revenge. Our pride is going to get in the way. We are going to be condescending and make assumptions.
That is all part of human nature.
Making the Connections
But that is what discipleship is all about. We try to limit the influence our human nature has on us and strive to live our lives based on our spiritual nature.
No, it isn’t easy. Yes, we don’t hit the mark at times.
God forgives us when we ask.
How Do We Apply This?
Beveridge gave us a list of great verses. These verses are a good to do list themselves.
- “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (I Cor. 13: 7 ESV).
- “It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs” (I Cor. 13: 5 NIV).
- “Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!” (I Cor. 13: 8-9 NLT).
- “What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?” (Jas. 4: 1 CSB).
- “Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4: 26 CSB).
- “Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice” (Eph. 4: 31 CSB).
- “But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying” (Jas. 3: 14 NLT).
- “Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise” (Prov. 13: 10 NLT).
- “Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him” (I Jn. 3: 15 CSB).
- “They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy” (Rom. 1: 31 NLT).
There was one more verse on Beveridge’s list. “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting” (Mt. 18: 7 NLT).
The goal of the to do list is to imitate the Father — to build our character so that it reflects His. We will need that for when we our living with Him face to face.
Do these devotions help us make this life more palatable? No. These devotions are designed to help us figure out what changes we need to make to grow in grace and knowledge.
Our goal should be to prepare ourselves for eternity, not this life. That should be the outcome of our to do list.
Father. We want to be like You. We want to have Your character. We want to be ready when You call us home. Only You can prepare us. Lord, do so. Amen.
What do you think?
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