“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.” Rom. 12:9-11
Devotional Thought For The Day
After laboriously detailing the marvelous realities of God’s gracious forgiveness and mercy in Christ Jesus, that we are saved by Christ alone, through faith in Christ, purely by His gracious love and independent of our performance [works], the apostle gives direction to those who have grasped and understood God’s love for us. His goodness and love lift us to a higher way of life, one that is turned back from the pursuit of evil to repentance; a life no longer lived for one’s selfish pursuits but for God’s blessed purposes. We are not all the same – God has given us “gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,” so that we all have unique abilities to contribute to the common good, within the church and to others generally. [Rom. 12:6] The use of these gifts is important, but perhaps even more important is how we use them, the quality and nature of what is within us, what our motivations and goals truly are. “God loves a cheerful giver” [2 Cor. 9:7], and our attitudes and feelings are important as we seek to do God’s loving will in our lives.
First Paul urges a genuineness to our love. We recognize fakes and fawners, people who act like they care when they really are doing things for their own satisfaction or self-righteousness – and they disgust us. This is hypocrisy, and does not flow from faith or love. Second, he urges us to abhor, or hate, what is evil. One has to know the difference between good and evil, and while many ignore real evils and persist in them, others multiply evils so that even good things are abhorred. Evils harm others and genuine love cannot abide them. However, we are to hold fast to what is good – and engage in doing good to others. Again, many confuse evil with good and harm others; but others refuse to do good or to receive what is good by misidentifying good with evil. It is God’s Word that must continue to inform us as to the correct distinction between good and evil, the words actually written, and not just our “feelings” or our sense about a given matter. Our consciences can be weak and misinformed, so that we continue in evil or refuse to do what is good.
We are to love one another with “brotherly affection.” That is, we are to have familial love for our fellow believers, showing all the same kind of sacrificial love and care that we more naturally have for the members of our family. We sacrifice much for the sake of children, parents, and siblings – and the same willingness to love is encouraged toward all people. Rather than seeking and demanding honor for ourselves, we are to elevate and exalt others. Obviously this means that we will not be degrading and running down other people, especially not our fellow believers – for we remember that “love covers a multitude of sins.” [1 Pet. 4:8] Alas, the self-righteous and pietistic think they are doing some kind of marvelous good work in accusing, condemning, and dishonoring others – when in fact this is capitulating to evil malice. We do well to take heed in this matter!
We are to grow out of slothfulness and to increase our zeal – growing more fervent in spirit each day, fervent for good and zealous to “serve the Lord.” Only our experience of God’s love, His zeal for our eternal blessedness and welfare, can move us to love more genuinely and fervently. So we continue to confess our sin and our weakness of love, rejoicing in His assurance of forgiveness, mercy, and blessing. We are moved and shaped inwardly for genuine love as we contemplate His gracious and merciful love for us. In time, we exercise the same gracious and merciful love toward others – eager to serve the Lord by serving others with the gifts and abilities that God has given us. We do so not to gain something from God, but in gratitude and thanks to Him for all that He has already so richly bestowed upon us. This is love, genuine love, and our experience of God’s love through faith infects us with this love and compels us to greater love and service of one another. May God continue to grant this eagerness and blessedness to each of us.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, thanks and praise be to You for the wondrous and genuine love that You have for us, that You laid down Your life in love for us to redeem us from all sin and guilt and to give us eternal life and salvation. May our contemplation of Your love increase genuine love within us, so that we truly and fervently love one another with brotherly affection and goodness. Help us to shape our lives to serving You by our care and kindness toward others. Amen.