Wednesday 31 May 2023

May 31: Romans 12:9-16

Key Verse: Romans 12:9
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Devotion:
If you are going to go round carrying a chip on your shoulder, life is going to seem harder than it should be especially when you get close to the reason for that chip being there in the first place. When Jesus told us to love our neighbours and to love our enemies it was not just to stop wars but to stop the root cause of things like wars. We seem to spend far too much time worrying over what other people say about us and what we think of other people!

God is the one who knows us from the inside out and there is no way we can really know others like He does – ever though we try to fool ourselves that we do! The more we dwell on those thoughts about what we think is going on in other people’s minds, the more distorted our world becomes and the more we are distracted from doing God’s will in our lives.

The apostle hints here about ways in which we can get round those types of thoughts we harbour about others. If we are willing to try and over-ride our thoughts with actions which agree with God’s will, then we will see just how beneficial it can be to act more like Jesus than our old wordly ways! The hope which it brings into our lives will soon change our ways of thinking of others and allow us to love our neighbours and our enemies.

We have to try and let go of the thoughts and actions we have and do which prevent us from following Jesus’ commands to love others. When we change our mindset to see the hope which can be found if we do follow His commands, our actions and thoughts will follow and living more in harmony will be the normal way of living!

Points to Ponder:
What chips do you have on your shoulder(s)?

Are you willing to try and search for the hope?