Hearts Turned Outward
Opening Prayer
Lord, I give You my full attention. Today, may I have a right mind and walk on the right path.
Read Romans 12:9-21
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Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
As we have received God’s blessing while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8), so we seek to bless those around us, regardless of how they respond.
Luther once described sin as cor curvum se, the heart turned in on itself. Now that we are free from the penalty of sin, and increasingly from the power of sin, Paul describes the practice of Christian living as having our hearts turned out to others, whether fellow believers or others in the world around us.
Within the body of believers, this leads to lives marked by a transparent integrity. Love must not be hypocritical, the exact opposite of many people’s view of religion. We have a shared commitment to oppose anything that is evil, and our constant concern is to encourage and honor others. Since “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (5:5), we are full of hope, and not blown off course by the momentary suffering that comes with following a suffering Messiah. Note that this community of mutual love is not turned in on itself but has porous boundaries and draws even strangers into its warm embrace (13).
Paul then develops this outward focus, offering striking parallels with Jesus’ teaching, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). Jesus announces his good news, rooted in the Jewish law, to rural Galileans, while Paul has explained his Gospel to a mixed Jewish-Gentile audience in the great city of Rome. Yet they both end up in the same place. To bless our communities is now recognized as a vital mission strategy, but Paul was there before us! Just as God overcame the evil of our disobedience with the goodness of his patience, so we seek to overcome evil with good. We can trust God to be the just judge of all.
Apply
What are the things that test your patience, tempting your heart to turn in on itself? Ask God for a fresh filling of his Spirit of hope and love.
Closing prayer
Father, as I reflect on this passage, the old adage comes to mind, “Blessed to be a blessing.” Firm up my will so that’s true for me.
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