THIS PARTIAL LIST WILL KEEP YOU BUSY
ROMANS 12:14-17
ROMANS 12:14-17 NKJ
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
OBSERVATION:
I think sometimes we read instructions like the ones found in our verses for today and tend to overlook them. Surely the Lord does not mean I am to do all this stuff, does He?
I believe the Lord inspired Paul to write these instructions because they are exactly what He means for us to do.
But if we will approach this list from the positive side, we will see the list is intended for the good of others. And for our good.
So, we bless those who do not say good things about us. We bless instead of fretting, stewing, and chewing on our anger.
We are happy when others are doing good. Even if we wish we were doing better than we are. And we feel for those who are weeping. Not privately okay with their misfortune.
We are willing to get along with and not think we are better than other believers. We are all on the same team, and we gladly associate with all the Body of Christ. Not just the ones who are sharp and make us look good. Because we grasp the fact that without God, we would not be where we are. We owe Him everything. We are not everything.
And we do not play the get-back game. Someone does us wrong; we do not figure out a way to get back, even in our thoughts. We are to live as examples of the goodness of God before others.
APPLICATION:
If this was a test, how would you score on this partial list? As I look at these divinely inspired instructions, I think I will need to take this test again. I did not flunk out, but I am feeling the need for serious improvement.
Good News! God is full of compassion and grace. He will not kick us out but will give us opportunities to improve. And by God's grace, we can!
PRAYER:
Thank You for this character list, Lord. This is how You operate, and this is Your plan for my life. Thank You that I have what it takes to do this!