My daughter recently shared with me one of her favorite parts of Romans. God has given her a heart for young girls her age and she looks for opportunities to mentor and disciple teenagers. She told me that some have asked her to share with them practical things about God that can help them in high school, so she’s been teaching them Romans 12: 9-12.
When she and I went through the verses together she said that she chose it because it helped her at a younger age when she really needed it. She said she would read it over and over again. I never knew this. I felt a deep sadness that I had not shared this with her myself, that when she needed it most, I did not have enough of God’s word in me to comfort her and guide her. I loved God for a long time and innocently thought as a young mother that was what mattered most. Looking back, I see how God was shepherding us both. I know that there is “no condemnation in Christ”. God is truly the Father of us all. I know He knows how much I love Him, and my children; and that He does not want me to regret but rejoice in my walk with Him secure in the knowledge He has had us both in the palm of His hand the entire way.
It’s not about our failures or mistakes as mothers, it’s about our faithfulness and obedience. That being said, I have learned that it is not enough to love God, if we do not have His word firmly planted in us we will not grow and we cannot fulfill our roles or minister to others in the way God intended. We are meant to lead our children, how can we lead them in ways we do not know?
This message is praise to God for giving this scripture to my child and growing in her a heart to share it with other girls whose mother’s truly love them, but like me, maybe did not have the words they needed when they needed them. Here is a short application of Romans 12: 9-12 that I am grateful I have now to share with whomever may need it, young or old.
It is important to know that this part of Romans is the author’s, (the apostle Paul,) instruction about how God desires us to live as Christians. †
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ROMANS 12: 9-12
VERSE BY VERSE:
Verse 9: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.”
In our relationships we are to love with a sincere heart, and further oppose cruelty by clinging to what God has said is good here. This is especially challenging for teenagers as their relationships begin to mature. There are very few good examples in the entertainment media of how human beings are to treat each other much less believers in Christ. So many negative messages bombard us on a daily basis. We live in a fallen world and must deal with evil, persecution, pain, suffering and more. When we trust and believe in what God has said we lean in to Him and this truly becomes a shelter in the storm. When we react to the negative or ungodly influences around us, and turn away from God, we lose that shelter and become entangled in battle. Contrary to what the world is telling us, God is telling us not to pretend to love people, but to love them as He does, because He does:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 JOHN 4:7-11
Verse 10: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Pride is a killer, especially in a world where image is everything. Social rules demand we order ourselves into groups with some on top and even more on the bottom. This is directly against God’s word. He tells us to put others above ourselves. Forget the accolades, compliments and praises we crave, God says it is better to put others first. This is obviously not a popular way of thinking as we can see by the many competitions for awards, magazines, and pop culture icons that we are surrounded by. These things are not evil unless we put them before God. To obey God you must keep your eyes on Him and let go of what is popular.
Verse 11: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
Keep your eyes on the prize. One of my favorite Bible teachers says often; “There is no high like the Most High.” God must be first. In everything we do we are to consider if our choice is pleasing to God. Does God want us to make sure we see every Hollywood blockbuster but rarely find time to read our Bibles? Do we make time for fun with friends and forget to pray because we are simply too busy? A wise man once said; “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” Satan does not have to make us drug addicts or murderers to destroy our witness and our purpose, he simply has to encourage us to take our eyes off of God. No purpose we create for ourselves in the world will ever compare to the purpose God has for us. Do we crave recognition, power, money, and fame more than we desire God? If so, we are on a path to destruction.
Verse 12: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
God is in everything. He does not promise us a problem free life, He does promise to never leave us or forsake us. He promises us beauty for ashes, good from evil, if we believe and cling to hope:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1: 2-4
Finally I want to leave you with these additional scriptures to hold close to your heart. These have saved me from myself more times than I can count, never more so than when I am tired, stressed, or sick, God’s word does not fail to protect me from my foolish reactions, impulses and emotions! If your heart is struggling to love, obey these words, pray and ask God to change your heart:
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10: 5
Thank you God that you love us so much that we cannot even begin to fathom the depth of your love, that you would give your son to die for us so that we may be reconciled to you! Help us to put others first, to honor them, to love them, because they are your children, not because we judge them worthy. Help us to be wise and give us words to lift others up. Give us strength to resist the temptations and attitudes of the world, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and wisdom to choose the path you would have us walk so that we may lead others to you. Let us not grow weary but hold on to our fervent devotion and zeal for you. May we be joyful, patient, and faithful, oh Lord, in all our circumstances, secure in the knowledge that you are with us and you will work all things together for our good. Do not let us lose hope but keep our eyes fixed on you. We love you Lord, in Jesus name, Amen.
† The following website is a good resource to use for in depth study of the Bible. For the purposes of this article it was used to confirm the author’s original intention and for Greek translations of key words in the text. http://www.blueletterbible.org/
From the Cradle to the Cross 