The passage was Romans 12:9-18
"9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." (ESV)
Some key points:
- Genuine relationships - don't be fake, live genuine and live love. Only abhor (detest/hate) what is evil. It seems weird that God would say to love and hate in the same verse, but what I think it means is to have a righteous anger which is different than hateful anger. Be angry at evil in this world but not necessarily at people. I think we are supposed to love people no matter what, and that love is only possible through Christ.
- Why fake it? Why is faking relationships so appealing? Don't be lukewarm, either love me or hate me. I get so tired of people putting up a front (including myself) why do we do this? For me I think it is my own personal insecurity of making my heart vulnerable. I fake relationships so I don't get hurt. Instead I need to learn to be genuine and real and live those relationships through Christ's love and protection.
- "We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother he is a liar." (1 John 4:19-20)
- "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart." (1 Peter 1:22-23)
- "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Out of the whole passage this verse really stood out to me. It is so extremely simple it is unbelievable. It is like God is saying "yo stop trying to complicate things it is easy: don't give up hope, be patient, and freaking pray! It's as easy as A-B-C!" Praying is such a weakness of mine and many of you know patience isn't one of my strong points either. Time to get to work!
- The last chunk of verses talk about blessing those that curse you, and not to pay evil for evil. In real relationships there is going to be conflict, and most of the time this stems out of pride. God is challenging us to be humble and resolve conflict through humility. He also doesn't want us to harbor those prideful, evil feelings in our heart. He says that your sings will not be forgiven unless you forgive against those that sin against you.
- "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all the humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3)
Anyway these are just a few things I am learning and processing as I continue on my journey. I hope that I have encouraged you!
Peace, Love, Joy!
Amen
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThese verses are so important and are used out of context so often by non christians.
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good"
Hating the evil action not the actor. you can love the sinner but hate the deeds they do. We love and accept them, but not their evil actions. It is hard to do this sometimes when the sin is something that we(ouself) see as extremely evil. How do you love that person? God loves us all and forgives us all if we ask and repent, no matter what the sin. "ALL have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of the Lord"
Great insight.
Sorry I have not read your blog in a while.
Love ya