Romans 12:9-15
9 Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good;
10 love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.
11 Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
12 Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.
13 Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute (you), bless and do not curse them.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Here are some words of encouragement from Paul. I need to remind myself of this frequently, because my tendency is to hole up in my own house, and tend to the needs and desires of myself and my family.
However, God calls us to be engaged in our brothers’ lives on a personal level. We all have times where we get tired, or discouraged, or just completely consumed with what’s going on in our immediate lives. Paul reminds us to be fervent in spirit, rejoice in hope, and persevere with prayer. We are called to spiritually invest in each others’ lives.
And … we are to let our love be sincere. To me, this means that I shouldn’t see obedience as a means to an end. I shouldn’t serve others because I think that will get me to heaven. I should serve others because by putting the flesh to death and remaining in Christ, his desires should become my desires. I should serve out of love and hope, and not because I think I’ll get something out of it down the road.
