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Hear the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3gu9RJA
9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20 No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21 NRSV)
Happy Tuesday, dear Friend! This finds Nellie and me in Houston, patiently (ha!) awaiting the arrival of grandson number three, grandbaby number six (same person, different designations), and when we arrived in Houston late Sunday was the possible "joy" of a possible hurricane coming this way as well, but that seems to have been changed a bit. Your prayers are welcome and needed, and much appreciated!
The arrival of yet another baby to the family goes very much in line with what God is speaking through the Apostle Paul in this passage, for if you are/were/will be, like most parents/grandparents/uncles/aunts, you seek to share and live a life with your little ones that will shape them to be the best persons they can be. Paul lays out a wonderful framework for a great life, a Christian life, that blesses and honors God, and a life that loves God and all of God's creatures in positive ways.
The foundation is love. Love for self, not in selfish, conceited, boastful ways, but in the ways love blesses others in good, affirming ways. Love should be, as the Apostle says, genuine; kids know when we truly love them and not are sharing clichés and idioms; they can see love and they can feel love radiating from us to them. Hate is a strong word, that I try hard not to use; and more so, I try not to show; but there are some people and some things that I strongly, strongly, dislike! Paul says it's okay to hate evil. Evil sometimes is hard to describe, but what year was it? The Supreme Court back in some year, on another topic, said, "I know it when I see it." (SC Justice Potter Stewart, 1964), same with evil, "we know it when we see it," and more so, when we cause it, or live it!
Affection is vital to growth and development in children, and come to think of it, never really grows old for those who are raised in that way! Early in our dating life, Nellie and I had a married couple as close friends, and they and I were doing our internship with our seminary. We heard quickly from the woman that she had been raised with deep affection from her parents, and this man was not, and so did not know how to show it or how important it was to do so. Their marriage did not survive. Honor is both a word and an action that we don't see or hear much about in this age. I always made it a big part of my premarital counseling to explain the definition and importance of honor in any relationship, but especially in marriages. Imagine if we all honored everyone else.
The rest of the passage has the list pretty well lined out: Be zealous in all things related to God and being of God; be on fire in your spirit as you serve the Lord! On-fire Christians do better than wet noodle Christians! Let joy be a part of your life and interactions with others; let patience be a virtue that shines forth from you, and be known as a person who prays and believes in prayer. Be generous in helping others, especially those blessed by the ministry of your church; be hospitable to all people, and be a person who gives life away in the form of blessings that flow forth from your mouth, to all people; those who love you and those who can't stand the sight of you! Be happy with the happy, and cry with those who cry. Be a person who gets along with others, hang out with all people, regardless of clothing or cash amounts they have; and think of yourself just as good as everyone else, without lifting yourself up in your own mind. Repay those who harm you with good things, and think of the noble you see and are blessed by, and live in peace with all.
Leave revenge and vengeance to the Lord. It is coming! Feed the hungry, especially those who would rather steal your food, and share water with all who thirst. Your actions of good may be received as burning actions by some; and that's okay. And in all things, seek to be the good among those who know only evil.
Whew! Now, go and do likewise!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your Son's words are echoed here by the Apostle Paul, just as if he had just read the gospel of Matthew for the first time; but it shows that these words are timeless, and apply just as much now as they always have. Let us make the difference in the world for all, for a world revolution of good begins with me. It is in Christ Jesus' Spirit and Name that I pray, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be an overcomer of evil by the good you do, today and all days!
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
