The assignment for today was to memorize, meditate, and share my thoughts on Romans 12:9-13.
I enjoyed Matthew Henry's commentary on this passage. He says, "Now all our duty towards one another is summed up in one word, and that sweet work, love. ". He proceeds to comment on the three types of love mentioned here - affectionate love, respectful love, and liberal love. With this division, I will give my thoughts on each section.
An affectionate love:
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. "
Genuine love - that is a lot harder than it sounds! It is not just acting nice towards someone, but truly caring for them no matter how they have acted toward me.
Abhor what is evil - not only knowing that I shouldn't sin, but hating and despising sin.
Hold fast to what is good - turning away from the bad on holding tightly to what is good, without a single longing glance at the other side.
Love one another with brotherly affection - we are to love each other as we love our own kith and kin. As a friend of mine commented, we should love them even better than our family members, as our treatment towards members of our own family isn't always the best.
A Respectful Love:
"Outdo one another in showing honour. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord."
Outdo one another in showing honour - it can be difficult to put others before ourselves. I am supposed to try to outdo others in showing honour, not in outdoing them and their works.
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord - I am to avoid sloth. Proverbs especially is brimming with verses that address slothfulness and the consequences of it. I am to be fervent in spirit, serving Yahweh, not myself or my sinful nature.
A Liberal Love:
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs the saints and seek to show hospitality. "
Rejoice in hope - even in the bleakest circumstances, we can rejoice for our hope is in Yahweh.
Be patient in tribulation - instead of being eager for the tribulation or trial to be quickly over, I ought to be seeking out what Yahweh is teaching me and realize that He is working everything out for my ultimate good.
Be constant in prayer - Yahweh is always there, ready to speak with me. As a young couple is always doing things together, constantly talking to each other and wanting to know what the other is up to, I should be constantly conversing with my Father.
Contribute to the needs of the saints - we are not each to live our own lives, but to care for our fellow saints, whether it is physically, spiritually, or emotionally.
Seek to show hospitality - this can be as easy as inviting another family over for dinner. Christian hospitality is often lacking, sadly, and we ought to seek to remedy that by making ourselves more willing to open our homes to the needy around us.
That's all for today, folks! :)
Sounds like you had some good meditations, keep it up! ; )
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