Doing What We Already Know
How many times have you thought, said, or heard someone say that they wish they knew the will of God? Usually when we have these discussions with ourselves, with our children, or in conversation with friends and colleagues, we are specifically asking about God’s will relative to a decision or choice that is front of us. Should I marry this person or remain single? Should I look for another job or stay in my current one? There are many times we wish we knew exactly what God wants us to do.
However, if we pay attention to many passages of scripture in the gospels and in the epistles, there are numerous examples of things we are explicitly told to do and yet we often skim over them, say a quick prayer, and move on to whatever else is on our mind.
Romans 12:9-21 is a great example of things that are clearly God’s desire or God’s will for us today. In this one passage there are probably 25 specific actions for believers. Paul opens with what seems to be both a broad description for the behaviors that will follow but also a specific thing for us to do: Be genuine in our love for each other.
On one hand, it doesn’t seem like followers of Christ would need that instruction. But our problem is we are often not following Christ but rather following our preferences in who and how we love. Jesus demonstrated his love for us in that he laid down his life even to death so that we might live. He was sacrificial in his love for us. Genuine love is focused on others and their needs and not simply words with no willingness to take time to listen, to help, or to show compassion.
Maybe one day I will write a month of devotions from this one passage, but for now I want to focus on just a few for us to not only think about also to do. Here is one to consider:
“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord”
We don’t use the word slothful much, so let me say it another way: Don’t be slow or lazy in how you serve the Lord. This would clearly also mean to be slow or lazy in how you serve the people around you. This ties back to our love being genuine. We cannot say we love and then help someone in need some day when we get around to it. We are not to help, serve, or love others grudgingly.
I will confess that sometimes I know the thing to do and know that it is the thing God wants me to do, yet I quietly and sometimes slowly obey. Paul is telling us to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, quit complaining, and even joyfully embrace the opportunity before us.
Our attitude and our behavior toward others reflect whether our love for God is genuine and whether we are striving to be genuine in our love for others.
I have a strong suspicion that when we do the things that scripture makes so plain to us, we will find ourselves struggling less to understand or know what God’s will is for us in other matters. As we connect more deeply with God and do the simple things he asks of us, the more difficult decisions will become more obvious.
Thank you, Father, for your word that teaches us who we are and how we are to conduct our lives as your children. Transform our hearts and minds that we might truly love genuinely and not be lazy in our service to others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Romans 12:9-21 ESV
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