Romans 12:9-16 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."
This verse asks for a lot. We are called to bless out enemies and not to curse them, to be joyful in hope, and patient in affliction. The world wants to keep us on the sidelines and out of the game as much as possible. We are constantly attacked by others, our hopes are often dashed, and no one seems to have things as bad as we do - at least in our own minds. This type of internal thinking is exactly what will keep us on the bench. Even though we can read these verses and understand them, we can accept the message and "want" to apply them to our lives, but we often get have problems actually putting them in to our daily lives. We like to see ourselves as generally good people, good intentions and a generally loving person - is that how others view us? Think about the last time you were stuck in traffic or caught behind someone actually doing the speed limit on the highway... were you a "good" person then? Did you keep your anger and frustration in check? Were you patient?
Take the time to reflect on your own life and think about what the world would be like if we applied these principles to our daily lives. If everyone helped those in need, treated each other with honor, and were not full of pride. God changes people's hearts, takes away the hardness caused by the world and replaces it with compassion. If the world was filled with His love, things just might be a little easier...
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