DON'T GET EVEN

Rom. 12:19  Dear friends, never avenge yourselves.  Leave that to God.  For it is written, "I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," says the Lord.  NLT

      One of the normal things to do as a child is to get even with those who does him wrong.  I know I did it.  Regardless whether it was a sibling or not, I wanted to make things even, or get the upper hand.  You do me wrong, then I will do you wrong.  It was the law of nature.  Sadly, many never grow out of their childhood years.  They are bent on getting even whenever they are wronged, often causing much harm, even death.  It is a theme that is interwoven throughout the things that entertain us; it is the cause of what we call road rage.  Avenging ourselves only seems like the right thing to do.

     However, God does not see things as we see them.  He says to let Him take care of those who wrong us.  It is not our role to play God with others.  Instead of getting even, we are to strive to just let things go and move forward with grace and love.  We are to forgive those who wrong us and strive to live peaceably with them.  We are to pray for those who have vengeful hearts instead of making them pay for what they do. 

       God is just and He will take care of whatever business needs to be taken care of.  If vengeance is needed, He will take care of it at the proper time.  He alone knows when it is time to execute justice.  He does not act on the same timetable that we do.  He sees what we don't and knows whether or not the vengeful soul will repent.  He gives everyone ample amount of time to change their attitude and actions.  He would much rather wait and not have to mete out vengeance than to do it quickly and lose a soul.

     When someone wrongs you, don't take matters into your own hands.  Instead take them to the Lord and let Him take care of it.  He is able and will do the right thing every time. 

PEACEFUL LIVING

Rom. 12:17-18 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.   NLT

       How we respond to those who would persecute us says a lot about our relationship with God. When we have a heart that is bent on justice instead of mercy, we have sin in our hearts. In order to do what is honorable in God's eyes, we need to have a heart that wants to treat others not as they deserve, but for their good. The right thing to do is to always strive to do that which is good, regardless whether it is acknowledged, appreciated, or accepted. We can't control the thoughts and reactions of others, but we can control, with the Lord in control, our own.

       As much as is possible, we are to live in peace with everyone. It is sometimes literally impossible to be at peace with some people, but our part is to try our best to make and maintain the peace. Don't let your reactions be governed by your sinful nature or the actions and words of others. Let the Lord rule your heart and give you a heart of love and peace for everyone. Just remember, when others act in sinful ways toward you, their real problem is their problem with God, not you.  Do the right thing and pray for them. The worse it gets, the more you should pray. God's love compels us to pray for those who would do evil to us. Let others see God at work in you and not your sinful nature.

       As much as possible, live at peace with everyone; this is God’s will for you.

ENJOY BEING WITH OTHERS

Rom. 12:16  Live in harmony with each other.  Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people.  And don't think you know it all!  NLT

      Churches seem to be the worst offenders of this verse.  Some church bodies are so into their own world that they will not fellowship with anyone else.  They think that to do so would put their doctrinal position into jeopardy.  They fear that they might think differently about things and no longer stand on solid Biblical ground.  Thus, they choose not to fellowship with other church bodies or work with them for the advancement of the Gospel. 

       Living in harmony with one another is often difficult and not done.  Rather than work through issues, there is the tendency to just break fellowship with one another.  It happens a lot within the church.  One may sit next to someone in church and even serve alongside of them, but be out of fellowship with them.  Such living is sin.

       Some try to act important in the church.  They get the idea because of what they do or have accomplished in life that they are better than others.  In God's family, no one is any more important than anyone else.  Period.  No one is worthy of being exalted to a higher status than anyone else.  Instead, we are to enjoy each other's fellowship.  Church life would be so much more enjoyable for everyone if we would do this.

       Protect your soul.  Don't think you know it all; you don't.  No matter how much you may have learned about life, the Scriptures, how to apply them, and people, you don't know it all.  We are all in the learning process.  There is so much more to learn than what you think you know.  Don't let your knowledge puff you up; it is sin. 

       Humbly use what you do know for the honor and glory of Christ, learn what you can, and never forget there are always going to be those who know more than you do and can do more things you can and do them better.  Live in harmony with others and you will enjoy your life a whole lot more.

JUST GET ALONG

Rom. 12:16 Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!  NLT

       I wonder what life would be like if we were to take to heart this verse of Scripture. Would things be different in our homes, churches, and on our jobs? Let's face it, we like to think of ourselves as being important. We want to be the center of attention. We want to put ourselves on a pedestal and to act like we are the go to person in our world. It is ingrained in us and it takes a lot of effort to live humbly before others. The only sure way we are going to overcome this sinful tendency is to live humbly in Christ. We must keep the Lord on the pedestal of our hearts at all times. It is when we step up and try to stand on the pedestal with Christ that we get ourselves into trouble.

      We must understand something about ourselves. We don't know it all! I don't care how educated we may be, how long we have been Christians, how many hours we have poured ourselves over the Scriptures, how well we are versed in the Biblical languages, or what our position may be in the church, we do not know it all. In fact, we know very little of what there is to know. There are things the Lord has hidden from us. We must learn to humbly accept and appreciate what we do know, and accept by faith what we don't. It's not for us to know all things. God knows and that is enough for us to know. Let us strive to not let our differences in understanding separate us.

      Our goal is to live in harmony with each other. Sometimes it's not too hard to do, but sometimes others make it very difficult. Our part is not to change the way others may react towards us. We are to strive to be the ones who live peacefully. We can't control how others live or think, but we can control ourselves. Learn to relax and enjoy the company of ordinary people. Learn to agree to disagree on things that separate you agreeably and get on with living and working together for the glory of Christ on earth.

EMPATHY FOR OTHERS

Rom. 12:15 When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow.   NLT

      Do you emphasize with others? Are you able to get into what they are experiencing and share with them the joys and sorrows of life? Are you able to come alongside of others and truly become one with them in what they are going through? If so, you are a true friend. You are someone special. You are loving them in the same way God loves you.

     God gets into our skins. He is able to identify completely with all the emotions of life we go through. He was fully human and understands the highs and lows of our emotional lives. He is able to meet us where we are at and minister to our present need.

      God loves us so much that he is not swayed by our momentary emotions. His love for us does not depend on our happiness, rather our happiness depends on His love for us. God understands, accepts, and overlooks our fickle emotions. If God's love flows through us, we will be the same way towards others.

      Everyone needs someone in their life who will emphasize with them in the highs and lows of life. Will you be that kind of a friend for someone today?  Rejoice with those who are happy and be genuinely glad for them.  Sorrow with those who are sad and strive to make them know they are not all alone in their sadness, that someone really does care. 

WHEN OPPOSITION COMES

Rom. 12:14 If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don't curse them; pray that the Lord will bless them.  NLT

      Being a Christian is not always easy in a world that is populated and ruled by non-Christians. Selfishness abounds everywhere, in all walks of life. When sin rules the heart of man, there is a resistance to the Gospel and those who carry it in their hearts. There is constant spiritual warfare going on and those who are not in Christ will do everything they can to squelch or destroy those who are in Christ. It has always been this way, and it always will be until Jesus returns to judge the world and purge it of sin.

      So, what are we to do to those who are out to make our lives miserable or even destroy us? We are to pray for them! We are not to pray for them to be harmed; we are to pray for the Lord to bless them. Wow! It doesn't seem right or fair to be asked to pray for our enemies, but that is exactly what we are to do. We are to ask the Lord to bless them. What does that mean?

       Ask the Lord to bless them with a heart open to the Gospel. Ask the Lord to bless them with a softened heart. Ask Him to bless them with a heart of compassion. Ask the Lord to be gracious and merciful to them that they might have an opportunity to hear and receive the Gospel. Ask the Lord to bless them with life and not death.

      When we ask the Lord to bless those who would persecute us, it not only opens the door for the Lord to minister to their hearts, it also ministers to our hearts. When we are praying for the good of others, it changes our attitude and heart for them. Instead of wanting revenge, we want love for them. The Lord changes us so that we will have a heart like the heart of God, a heart of love for those who would persecute us.

      A word of caution, don't pray for those who are against you, if you don't want the Lord to change you. Prayer changes us so that we can deal with life in a manner that pleases God. If you don't want God to help you handle those who persecute you in a godly way, don't bother to pray. 

      Also, don’t bother to pray if you have vengeance on your mind.  Let the Lord make things right.  Instead, pray for the Lord to make himself known to those who would persecute you or make life miserable for you and to graciously work in their lives to save and sanctify their souls.

LOVE IN ACTION

Rom. 12:13 When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.  NLT

      Jesus said to love your neighbor as you love yourself. When you are in need, you will do all you can to meet your need. If you can't satisfy your need, you will seek help from others for your need. It is a natural instinct to have our needs met.

     Today's verse instructs us to treat others the way we want to be treated. If someone in the household of faith has a need, we are the ones who need to respond to their need. We should not pretend that the need doesn't exist. If it is within our ability to do so, we need to reach out and minister to the brother or sister in need. We can't help everyone, but we can help someone. It is not okay with the Lord for us to do nothing.

      Why? Because actions speak louder than words. God's love is an active love. It is a giving and not a hoarding love. God's love motivates us to reach out to others, to be hospitable when we can, even to the point of inviting guests to spend the night if the need arises.

      The true measure of God's love in us is determined by how we relate to others in need.  We live in a very self-driven world.  The world is getting smaller and smaller to us as we isolate ourselves from it.  We become engrossed in our own little sphere of life and so often fail to recognize, let alone respond to, those in need around us.  Blessed are those who show their love for God by reaching out to those in need and do what they can to help them.