Romans
12:9-21 (J. B. Phillips New Testament) 9 Let
us have no imitation Christian love. Let us have a genuine break with evil and
a real devotion to good. 10 Let
us have real warm affection for one another as between brothers, and a
willingness to let the other man have the credit. 11 Let us not allow slackness to spoil our
work and let us keep the fires of the spirit burning, as we do our work for
God. 12 Base your happiness on
your hope in Christ. When trials come endure them patiently, steadfastly
maintain the habit of prayer. 13 Give
freely to fellow-Christians in want, never grudging a meal or a bed to those
who need them. 14 And as for
those who try to make your life a misery, bless them. Don’t curse, bless.
15 Share the happiness of those who
are happy, the sorrow of those who are sad. 16 Live
in harmony with each other. Don’t become snobbish but take a real interest in
ordinary people. Don’t become set in your own opinions. 17 Don’t pay back a bad turn by a bad turn,
to anyone. Don’t say “it doesn’t matter what people think”, but see that your
public behaviour is above criticism. 18 As
far as your responsibility goes, live at peace with everyone. 19 Never take vengeance into your own
hands, my dear friends: stand back and let God punish if he will. For it is
written: ‘Vengeance is mine. I will repay’. 20-21 ... these are God’s words:
‘Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink;
for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head’. Don’t allow yourself
to be overpowered with evil. Take the offensive—overpower evil by good!
Paul spends the first eleven chapters of his letter
to the Romans explaining that God’s forgiveness is a free gift, and the God has
adopted us in Jesus Christ as an act of His sheer grace and mercy. Then he
begins talking about ways that we can respond to God’s grace by loving one
another, seeking to do good, avoiding those things we know are wrong, showing
generosity, bearing patiently the faults of others. Then in the midst of it
all, Paul says let us keep the fires of the spirit burning, as we do our work
for God. Most of us
know immediately what he means. We have experienced enough of God’s grace to
know that the activities of the day have a way of extinguishing the devotion of
our hearts. Unbelief, uncertainty, a lack of confidence in our relationship to
God begins to creep into our lives. Our hearts grow dull. We become
disinterested in worship, prayer, the Scriptures, and even in God. We become quite
literally “dis-spirited.”
Keep the
fires of the spirit burning, Paul
says. God has ignited some spark of devotion in our lives. Kindle the fire that
is there. Fan the flame. Share in Christian fellowship. Regularly read books
written by Christians concerning their discoveries about God and God’s will for
our lives. Read the Scriptures. The Bible expands our consciousness of God and
His will, and these words have proven to be helpful, life-giving words time and
time again. Pray. Begin and end each day with prayer. Keep the fires of the spirit burning.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope October 28,
1973
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell (Broyles)
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