The Godly Community
Opening Prayer
Lord, thank You for placing me into a community of like-minded citizens of heaven.
Read Romans 12:9–21
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in 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 the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5).
These verses offer a wonderful picture of the kind of Christian community that is possible when its members sacrifice themselves according to Romans 12:1. After all,
God’s love has been poured into our hearts, so why not? Paul suggests that it is entirely possible for a local church to think, act and live according to the pattern that he outlines: humble, considerate, joyful, prayerful, passionate, righteous, hospitable, peaceful, forgiving—and the rest. This is the kind of faith community that anybody with sense would want to join. Paul is being idealistic, but is he being too optimistic?
There are few passages that delineate so clearly the Christian life. Paul does not often refer in detail to the life and ministry of Jesus, presumably because when he writes he is responding to specific issues that have been raised. He also takes it for granted that his readers know the basic narratives of Jesus’ life. Yet here he could be spelling out the very shape of Jesus’ life as the one who absorbed and overcame evil rather than perpetuated it. Returning good for evil takes us very close to the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). To be Christ-like is surely to exhibit the qualities listed here—and every Christian wishes to be like Christ.
I sometimes wonder how the world would be if everybody were a Christian. I would like to think that all would be well and the world would improve. I certainly believe improvement is probable, but not quite attainable. Human beings are perennially disagreeable and manage to create conflict wherever they go. In a Christian world this tendency might intensify in relation to theological matters. Evidently, we still have to work out our salvation in relation to each other, let alone in front of the relentlessly observant world.
Apply
As you read these verses carefully, humbly ask God to embed all these exhortations in your own heart.
Closing prayer
Lord, help me to incorporate these godly qualities in my life so that I may bring glory to Your name as the ungodly world looks on.
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