Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourself, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the LORD. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry feed him; if he is thirsty give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12: 9-21, NKJV.
Father in heaven, we are happy to be in Your presence, and we wait in expectation to hear from You. Please guide us into all truth, for Christ’s sake. Amen.
For the past few days we have been talking about the need for, and the benefits of, having a change of mind. Today, we are actually looking at some of the behaviors produced by someone who have had a change of mind. Although our scripture is rather lengthy, I would rather let the Word speak for itself, while we seek to understand, and apply it. The apostle lists 19 positive behaviors, and warns against 7 negatives. I have listed the positive behaviors under “Cling to what is good.” The others under, “Abhor what is evil.” That should tell us something. I believe that one of the lessons to be learned here is: There are much more opportunities for doing good, than there is for doing evil. Now note this: Doing evil may come easier to us, because of our fallen nature. But there are so many more opportunities to do good.
Those behaviors under the “good” list have to do with our positive attitude toward God and our fellow-human beings. The behaviors listed under “evil” speak of human pride, and thoughtlessness toward others. It would seem that when we experience a renewal of our minds God takes first place in our life; and therefore, it becomes natural for us to love our neighbors as ourselves. But when “Self” is on the throne, we become the center of our world, and there is little, or no place, for others.
Many of us struggle so hard to lead a “good” life. Most of the times we try to the point of frustration. We come up with our resolutions, and we become so rigid in our efforts, that our life becomes joyless. At times, we act as if being good Christians means that we have to be extremely serious, or unhappy. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be good, just as long as we know that the power to do good lies in Christ, and not in us. Even the power to surrender to Christ’s will, lies in Him (Philippians 2: 13). Therefore, doing good, comes as a result of, “Christ in us” (Galatians 2: 20).
Some other behaviors under the “good” list that are worthy of our consideration are: Being “fervent in spirit.” Some might describe this as emotionalism. I see it as a passion for spiritual things. We become passionate in so many other areas – namely, sports! We become so gung ho over our favorite teams, to the point of becoming depressed, or getting into altercations with others who do not share our preferences! I believe that a healthy passion for that which is godly, is quite acceptable before God. Blessing those who persecute us, is a fine way of flexing our spiritual muscles. This is not the natural thing to do, according to our fallen nature. Perhaps it feels much more comfortable to retaliate, in kind. But what a positive difference it would make to the persecutor, and the persecuted, when the latter, instead of speaking evil about his or her persecutor, find something good to say about them. In other words, you bless them. In order for this to be a true blessing, it must be done in sincerity. Therefore, this calls for our, dying to self.
How wonderful it would be, if we were to allow Christ to change our minds, and by virtue of that change – change our lives!