Romans 12: Part 16

Romans 12: Part 16

After covering when to mourn and when to rejoice, Paul goes on to tell us to "live in harmony with one another" in verse 16a. 

Harmony

When I first hear the word "harmony", I think of music, but the other definition is more fitting here. Dictionary.com says that harmony means to be in agreement and to be in accord with each other. It involves a consistent, orderly, and/or pleasing arrangement of parts. It is congruity. 

We like for people to agree WITH US and to arrange things according to OUR OPINIONS, but when we live in harmony, sometimes we are the ones yielding and sacrificing. In our society today, we have so many lines drawn in the sand and so many hills that people will die on. Yet, throughout the whole of Scripture, we have the theme of selflessness, sacrifice, and yielding our desires to others. 

Living in harmony does not mean that one side always capitulates and the other side always gets their way. That is a recipe to create a tyrant. But it involves both sides, holding loosely to what they want, and willing to put someone else's preference before our own. Sometimes, we yield, sometimes we "get our way", and sometimes we compromise where both sides bend and find a mutually beneficial arrangement. 

One Another

Examining the "one another" verses of the Bible is a delightful course of study. If we are unsure of how to treat our fellow believers, then we should dive into this subject. 

This isn't a command just for others as in "this is how they should treat you", but this is a command to both parties reading this passage. As human beings, we are often highly concerned with what others are doing. Many people are unwilling to follow a command like this out of fear that they will be the only one obeying and therefore will be taken advantage of. Yet, we can only control ourselves and our obedience. If we obey this verse and someone else disobeys it (therefore refusing to live in harmony with us), then they will answer for their deeds before God, just as we will answer for our deeds as well.

Living in harmony with others is not easy. We will mess up. We will need to ask forgiveness and to forgive others. But we must keep working on living out this command.  

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-What does living in harmony look like to you? 

-When was the last time you compromised for the sake of harmony? 

-When was the last time you yielded your preference for the sake of harmony? 

-When have you gone along with someone else's preferences for the sake of harmony? 

-How familiar are you with the one another verses? 

-Do you often get hung up on "but what about them obeying this command?"? 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Romans 12: Part 15

 Romans 12: Part 15

After Paul tells us to bless (NOT CURSE) our persecutors, he goes out to tell us to "rejoice with those who rejoice" and to "mourn with those who mourn". It's interesting that these are written in the command form. Paul didn't say "it might be a good idea to..." or "it's fabulous if you can manage to...". As Christians, we are commanded to rejoice and mourn with people who rejoice and mourn respectively. This isn't presented as a side quest or an optional addition to our day, but something that we are supposed to live out as we come across people rejoicing and mourning. When a command is given in the Bible (without a specific recipient, such as the Levites, priests, or king), we don't get to decide if we like it or want to do it; we can either obey God or choose to disobey. There isn't a middle ground where we can opt out because it really isn't our thing. 

Rejoicing with Those Rejoicing

There are plenty of people in the world who are wet blankets, pessimists, and otherwise negative people. Don't be like them. When someone tells us good news, let us rejoice with them! They are excited about it! They are telling it to us so that we can be excited with them. It is so hurtful when we tell someone good news, only to have them poke holes in it under the guise of being "realistic". 

Even though we, as a society, are pretty determined to "pop people's bubbles", "poke holes in their excitement", and otherwise bring down someone who is too joyful, we still like the concept of rejoicing with those who rejoice. So it's easy to encourage people to rejoice with those who rejoice, because we like to think of ourselves as positive people who do this effortlessly. It's a lot harder to mourn with those who mourn. 

Mourning with Mourners

When someone is having a bad day or is feeling blue, they don't always need to be told why they should be happy. Sometimes in our rush to make people feel better, we end up trying to minimize their pain instead of acknowledging it and mourning with them. Telling a person "other people have it worse" doesn't make them feel better; it makes them feel guilty! Refuting a person's description of their bad day with "you have so much to be thankful for!" shows that we are unwilling to mourn with them as we try to force them to "cheer up".

Sometimes, a person just needs to be heard without being told that they shouldn't feel that way. There is a time and a place to lovingly push back on a person's complaining, but there also is a time and a place to just listen to someone vent and assure them that they are having a normal reaction and the situation stinks. 

Our society is really bad at mourning with the mourners. We are uncomfortable with tears and other expressions of sorrow, so we either hightail it out of there or try to get them to "look on the bright side". But when dreams or people are laid to rest, sometimes we just need someone to mourn with us for a bit before life moves on. 

It is hard to sit with someone in their pain. When your words can't fix things. When you can't do anything to improve their situation. When the only words you have to offer are "I'm sorry you're experiencing that. It sounds painful/frustrating/disappointing/hurtful. This whole situation stinks." When we sit with someone who is hurting, they don't have to "put on a happy face" or endure well-meaning (yet still painful) platitudes and clichés. They can acknowledge their pain and be affirmed that their feelings are normal, valid, and human. They can lower their guard and be real with another person without being judged or condemned. They can feel heard, understood, and acknowledged. We can't always pull someone from the darkness or pit they are experiencing, but we can join them in their pain, so they know they aren't alone. 

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-Do you prefer to rejoice with those who rejoice or to mourn with those who mourn? 

-When has someone shared good news with you and you responded by bringing them down? 

-When have you rejoiced with someone who rejoiced? 

-When has someone shared bad news with you and you responded by rushing to cheer them up? 

-When have you mourned with someone who mourned? 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Romans 12: Part 14

Romans 12: Part 14

After Paul tells us to practice hospitality, he goes on to instruct us to bless our persecutors and further clarifies that by bless, he means that we shouldn't curse them. 

Bless

There are many definitions of the word "bless", but the best one in this context according to dictionary.com is "to bestow good of any kind upon". When we bless someone, we are actively doing good, whether we are talking about a financial, material, or emotional blessing.

We are blessed so that we may bless others (see Genesis 12:2). Now some of us might need this reminder: God might be using other people to bless us and we need to accept that help and assistance from others. Yet others of us need to hear the opposite: God wants to bless other people through us and we need to be obedient so that they can be blessed. One way to tell which we need is to see which of these situations make us more uncomfortable. 

Bless Our Persecutors

Paul specified the recipient of our blessing. We are to bless those who persecute us. It is interesting to note some of the things Paul didn't say here. He didn't say "bless those who are fellow believers" or "bless those who treat you like you want to be treated" or even "bless those who are fellow citizens in your nation". Now to be fair, these are good groups to also bless, but honestly, blessing members of our faith family, kind people, or fellow citizens isn't something that is radical to the Christian faith; lots of non-Christians do that too. 

But blessing our persecutors?!?! That is radical in our society, nation, and world. Paul is building on what Jesus commanded in Matthew 5:44 (namely to pray for those who persecute us). We are clearly commanded here that we should be blessing those who persecute us. 

When someone has it out for us, we are to bless them.

When someone tries to beat or kill us, we are to bless them.

When someone changes (or tries to change) a law to restrict our ability to worship, we are to bless them. 

When someone disowns, fires, or evicts us because of our faith, we are to bless them.

I highly recommend visiting The Open Door to learn about the persecution the global church is facing. The Church in the United States is quick to cry "I'm being persecuted", but we cheapen the word when we throw it around so readily. To be perfectly blunt: Wearing masks in a global pandemic is not persecution. Being ordered to reduce singing because it's a high risk activity is not persecution. Being told to find safer alternatives to crowded services is not persecution. Facing backlash for our poor treatment of marginalized people is not persecution. 

Bless, Don't Curse

Paul finishes, just in case we were uncertain of what he meant by "bless those who persecutes us", by adding that he means BLESS and not CURSE. It is not a blessing to wish an abudance of lice on a person; that's a curse. It is not a blessing to wish harm, punishment, or judgment on a person; that's still a curse. 

How can we bless our persecutors in the coming weeks, months, and years?

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

Who has the Spirit led you to bless? Did you obey?

Who has the Spirit used to bless you? 

Which makes you more uncomfortable: giving blessings or receiving blessings? Why is that?

Who do you typically prefer to bless?

How has the Spirit led you to bless someone who has persecuted you? Did you obey?

After reading about the Persecuted Church on The Open Door, what persecution from their stories have you also faced?

How have you been tempted to curse your persecutors?

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Romans 12: Part 13

Romans 12: Part 13

After Paul talked about the importance of sharing with those in the Lord's family who are in need, he went on to give (yet another) command. We are to "practice hospitality" according to verse 13b.

This will be a shorter devotional post this week, in part because we are looking at two words in Scripture. They do form a complete sentence and a whole thought, but there is only so much to glean from such a brief passage.

The use of the word "Practice" is interesting. In my mind, we practice things we have not perfected. So even if we aren't perfect at offering hospitality, we are to practice it. We can do this by inviting people over, probably in small groups of people we trust to take appropriate precautions in this season of Pandemic-Tide. We can consider our guests to be honored test subjects or guinea pigs as we learn how to offer hospitality. 

Now, there is a difference between showing hospitality and entertaining. Entertaining is a lot more formal and a lot more rigid. When someone entertains, they are a host or hostess with the appetizers ready to go, spends their time in the kitchen while someone else chats with the guests, and it can become more about showing off one's hosting skills than spending time with their guests. 

Hospitality has a long history, both in the Bible and elsewhere. When we show hospitality, we welcome people into our lives without fanfare or stress. Our guests can join us in our work, whether preparing food or cleaning up. We sit down and visit instead of hovering to make sure everything is perfect. Our guests might even get their own refills, like a member of the family.

There is a tendency to want to invite over people who we know and already like, but in Luke 14:12-14, Jesus instructs us to invite over people who are poor, people have disabilities, people who limp, and people who are blind. In other words, people who can't repay us for our hospitality, but who are in desperate need of some love and positive human interaction. 

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-What does "practice hospitality" mean to you? 

-How does the concept of inviting people over as you learn how to show hospitality sit with you? 

-Do you tend to show hospitality or entertain? 

-Who do you show hospitality to? 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.