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Life in God's Service
Romans 12:9-21
Good News Translation (GNT)
9 Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil,
hold on to what is good.
10 Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager
to show respect for one another.
11 Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart
full of devotion.
12 Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles,
and pray at all times.
13 Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians,
and open your homes to strangers.
14 Ask God to bless those who persecute you - yes, ask him
to bless, not to curse.
15 Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those
who weep.
16 Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud,
but accept humble duties.(a) Do not think of yourselves
as wise.
17 If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him
with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers
to be good.
18 Do everything possible on your part to live in peace
with everybody.
19 Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's
anger do it. For the scripture says,
"I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord."
20 Instead, as the scripture says:
"If your enemies are hungry, feed them;
if they are thirsty, give them a drink;
for by doing this you will make them burn with shame."
21 Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.
Footnotes
Romans 12:16 accept humble duties;
or make friends with humble people.
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Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary' (Kingsway)
Some Principles of Christian Living
In the Christian life, the first and greatest principle is always love.
Our love must be sincere. If our love is just on the outside, then it is a false and hypocritical love. This world of men is evil; it is under the control of Satan. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world
We must love each other (with brotherly love) like parents are devoted to their children... We should love each other as Jesus loved us. Love is respectful; the person who loves his brother also honours his brother. We must always regard others as being above ourselves. Let the other person have the honour, the position, the credit.
Through the Holy Spirit our own spirits are made alive and we are filled with zeal. Therefore, let us do nothing to hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives
Because of our hope - in salvation - we can persevere in times of trouble and suffering. Be joyful in hope. We will need to be faithful in prayer, to receive the strength and patience to endure affliction
We must never neglect our own Christian brothers and sisters who are in need; we must meet their needs before we go out and meet the needs of non-Christians. But we are only required to provide what they need, not what they want. We should always be looking for opportunities to practice hospitality - instead of doing it only when we have to!
We should pray that God will bless our enemies. It is not by our own strength but only by Christ's Holy Spirit that we can love our enemies in this way. The Christ is our example: instead of resisting He prayed; instead of accusing, He forgave; instead of hating, He loved; instead of bringing death, He brought life.
Sometimes we are unhappy when our brother is happy or successful. This comes from envy. Let this not be. When our brother is rejoicing, let us rejoice with him. When our brother is sad, let us share in his sadness. When our brother is burdened, let us help him carry that burden.
In order to remain in harmony with one another we must remain humble; pride destroys unity. If we are of one body, then we must be of one mind. Therefore, let us respect one another... This means to be willing not only to associate with those of lower position but also to do their work. It's good to be wise, but it's not good to think we're wise! Let not the educated people look down on the uneducated. True wisdom isn't learned mainly in schools! It is learned mainly from God - from His Spirit, from His word (the Bible), and from fellow believers in the church.
We must not only do what is right in the eyes of God; we must do what is right in the eyes of everybody. Otherwise, we shall bring dishonour on Jesus.
We cannot live totally at peace with some people - evildoers, for example. We must oppose those who oppose Jesus, especially those who dishonour Him and seek to block His work. But our opposition must be under God's guidance.
We must never take any kind of revenge for any reason. What kinds of things do we usually do, to take revenge? We might refuse to speak to the person who hurt us. Not to speak is itself a form of revenge. Instead we should go to him and forgive him! We should try, as quickly as possible, to forget the wrong he has done.
The meaning of the Proverbs 25:21-22 is that if we do good to our enemy, he will often become embarrassed and ashamed for the wrong he has done us. The burning coals are also a sign of God's judgment; if our enemy does not repent, our kindness to him will make his offense worse by contrast, and his judgment will be more severe. The best way to overcome your enemy is to turn him into your friend!
Sometimes Christians become discouraged and cast down by evil. Let this not happen to us! Paul's words, overcome evil with good, are a command, not a suggestion! Whenever God gives a command, He always provides the means and the strength needed to carry out the command.
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