Scripture: Romans 12:9
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Observations:
In Chapter 12 of the book of Romans Paul is explaining what it means to be “living sacrifices.” Part of that explanation is verse 9 where he encourages us to be sincere in love. He teaches us that being sincere means hating evil and clinging to what is good.
Application:
There are a lot of phonies out there. In every part of life there are things pretending to be something they are not. We are all guilty of being phony at some time in our lives. From dyeing our hair to lying about our age, we often present a version of ourselves that is better than the truth. Paul is warning us to not be phony when it comes to our faith in Christ and loving others. Let’s not pretend to be the body of Christ and care about people but let’s actually do it. How can we be sincere is a selfish and sinful world? I am glad you rhetorically asked! First, hate evil. Develop distaste for sin so that you turn up your nose at everything in your life that doesn’t please God. Second cling to what is good and only God is good. Perhaps Paul should have listed this first because clinging to God is what changes us. By clinging to God we receive the righteousness of Christ that changes us. By clinging to God’s word we develop our taste for good things and disgust for selfish, evil things. Only then can we be a living sacrifice.
Prayer:
Lord God, thank You for the righteousness of Christ that changes us. Help us to cling to You and Your Word so that we would be sincere in love and be living sacrifices for You. In Jesus name, Amen