Living Out Love, Pt. 2

It does not matter how deep and dark the despair that you find yourself in may be; there is always a hope that is greater.

Living Out Love, Pt. 2

This week's devotions are written by my friend Jessica Hermann, former director of our college ministry at Great Hills Baptist Church.

- Pastor Danny

"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

(Romans 12:11-12)

This week we are breaking down Romans 12:9-21 to take a moment to look at each command separately. Today we'll continue with verses 11-12. It's only two verses, but there are six commands to look at here. Many of them go hand in hand with each other, but let's still consider them individually with the knowledge that, in context, they build off of each other.

Do not be slothful in zeal.

Sloth is a sin, and we learned yesterday that we are to hate all that is evil, including our own sin. God has called you to something. Whatever God has given you a zeal for, you ought not to be lazy in carrying out His will for. Being slothful in the things God has called you to breeds indifference to the call of God.

Be fervent in spirit.

The previous command tells us what not to do, and this one fills that gap by showing us what we are indeed to do. The Greek verb used here means "to be hot" or "to boil". May our Spirit-led zeal not be cold or even lukewarm but boiling hot so that it produces heat and energy which is contagious to others.

Serve the Lord.

Our zeal must not only be fervent and not slothful, but it must also have feet. We must put it into action. A zealous person with no action can be very dangerous in this day and age of the internet. People will not care what you have to say if they do not see you living it out. Serve the Lord! Furthermore, there is no greater outlet for our zeal than to use that energy and excitement for the glory of the God who gave it to you.

Rejoice in hope.

It does not matter how deep and dark the despair that you find yourself in may be; there is always a hope that is greater. This is not to minimize the depth of real pain, but it is to say that, in Christ, there is always hope, because we live with the privilege of the great hope that is in our redemption in the Lord and in His promised return. The darkness will not prevail. Christ is victorious, and that is cause for hope.

Be patient in tribulation.

That being said, having this great hope does not mean that the pains of this life are not very real and can be agonizing at times. We are, therefore, called to be patient while we await the realization of the great hope that is coming.

Be constant in prayer.

It is not random that these last three commands are written one after another. They are not three unrelated thoughts thrown together. We rejoice in hope because things will not always be as they are. We are patient in tribulation because for now, they are this way, and we wait with patience. And in that waiting, we pray. We pray because God hears us, and we need not wait alone.