DEVOTION
ROMANS
CHOOSE TO LOVE
Rom 12:9-13
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be
devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with
God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
NIV
Wow, we could, maybe we should, spend a day on each one of these admonitions.
Is there another kind of love other than sincere? The Greek word has a meaning of
undisguised, genuine without hypocrisy. This is an open and honest true love,
without any falsifying embellishments. This is the kind of love which has the
attributes explained in 1st Corinthians 13. Some years ago I expanded
the love chapter making it personal. It is good to read it every once in a
while to remind myself what sincere love looks like.
Love is Patient: I am not going to get upset
with you, but rather I am going to be patient with you because I love you and I
want to allow you to be you. Although this is by far one of the hardest traits
to master…I also think the opposite may well be rooted in selfishness…to be
impatient only implies I think more of me then you.
Love is kind: I am not going to ignore your
need, but rather I am going to be kind to you because I love you and I want to
help you. If I am to show myself useful, within this context, I must be useful
to you. This being kind or benevolent, I am helping you.
Love does not envy: I do not envy you because of
your possessions or your spiritual gifts or your position in the body because I
love you and I want you to have the best.
Love does not
boast: I
am not going to boast about my possessions or achievements or about my place in
the body because I love you and want to hear about yours.
Love is not proud: I am not going to be proud
and think that I am better then you because I love you and want to put you
ahead of me. Pride means I am inflated, or puffed up thinking too much of me,
and not enough of you.
Love is not rude: I am not going to be rude to
you by being insensitive to your feelings because I love you and I care about
your feelings. If I am rude to you it is only because I think I am more
important than you.
Love is not
self-seeking: I
am not going to be self-seeking in our relationship because I love you and I
want to meet your needs before my own.
Love is not easily
angered: I
am not going to get upset with you and become easily angered by you because I
love you and I want to overlook your offenses. The only reason I would become angered
is when I am thinking more about me than you.
Love keeps no
record of wrongs: I am not going to keep a
record of your wrongs that I can bring up again later should you mention one of
mine because I love you and love covers a multitude of sins.
Love does not
delight in evil: I
am not going to join in with others if I hear them talking about something you
may have done wrong, but because I love you I am going to protect your honor
and defend you.
Love trusts: I am not going to think badly
about you because I love you and I trust you.
Love hopes: I am not going to be
discouraged if you fail either God or me because I love you and I will have
hope.
Love perseveres: I am not going to let anything or anyone
interfere with our relationship because I love you and this love will
persevere.
If we can achieve this type
of mindset it would only be natural we would hate evil. How can we have this
kind of love? How can we think in this manner? It would seem only right that it
is through the renewing of our minds. Some love might be associated with a
feeling, but this type of love is from a decision of the will, it is a choice
to love.
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