“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
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.
Never be wise in your own sight.
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves,
but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:9-21
This week during intercession, Peggy led us into listening prayer based on Romans 12:9-21. Our focus was on justice and what the role of the Church is. “In the past the Church has been used to hold the gap rather than to stand in the gap!”
We asked God what his justice looks like and how the Church can do that?
As we spent some time with it, the passage came to life in a whole new way for me; it was like I was reading it for the first time! And when I heard God speak, it was like he was building on the phrase “Listen well and obey quickly”.
Love well & serve quickly…
Rejoice well & weep quickly…
Harmonize well & release quickly…
Live in peace with all.
Somehow, in that moment, I understood our mission at a much deeper level – it became so much more real to me!
These aren’t simple instructions, nor are they just about what to do or how to love. They go further than that because they are instructions for how we are to be; how we, as the Church, are to be identified. Which, in turn, helps us live lives that are rooted in the way of God.
When we are marked by the Love of God we live in a certain way that fosters justice and engages with the world around us. We have not been made into new creations to sit idly by as storms rage around us… we have been made new with purpose!
In Kidz Harbour earlier that day, we had talked about the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. Jesus gave the example of a person who builds their house on the rock versus a person who builds their house on the sand. When the rains come down and the floods go up, only one of those houses will stand firm.
Uncle Eric spoke about this on Sunday too! He spoke about when the earthquakes of life take place – when, not if. Many of us are in the midst of a massive earthquake right now! And where we have chosen to build our homes and establish ourselves is making all the difference…
Although I’ve been informed that Wyatt’s take away from our lesson that day was: “Do not build a house on the beach!!”, the Good News is that this parable is not just building advice. Jesus was saying that if we hear what he has to say and we do it, then we are like a wise builder… and when we hear what he is saying and choose not to put it into practice, we are like a foolish builder.
It is never too late to begin putting into practice the way of Jesus, the way of God.
The description of Love being put into action from Romans 12 isn’t something you instantly have or don’t have. In a way it’s kind of like a vision or goal of who we can be as we lean into the type of life God has for us. It outlines and directs us into practical, hands-on action.
The choice remains ours.
Will we humble ourselves to truly serve others? To rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn? Will we be known as people who live peacefully in our hatred of evil? People who do not take vengeance into our own hands, repaying evil with evil?
Will we cling to love instead and bless those who persecute us?! Will we feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty – regardless of who they are or what they’ve done to us or to our loved ones?
We get to choose, every day and every moment, whether or not we will put into practice what we hear the Lord speaking to us; what we have outlined for us in passages like the one we just read. And as we choose to agree with him and obey him, we are like wise builders. Even if we’ve been unwise in the past and are living in houses being blown to bits on the beach. Even if we’re in the midst of a level 8 earthquake. The Good News is that we get to start making new choices and living in ways that are marked by Love any time!
Jesus, we acknowledge that You are Lord.
Even though that means we don’t get to live in the ways we wish we could, even when that changes what our daily decisions look like, even though we do not understand…
We choose to honour You as Lord.
Lord of our lives, Lord of our homes and our families, Lord of all.
We long to be wise and to put your words into practice, to put this Love we have received into action! Please show us how to do that. Show us and guide us, direct us and spur us on God!
Thank you for showing us what Life & Love look like with You.
Amen.