Living Out Love, Pt. 3

The body of Christ has all kinds of needs, and we ought not overlook them or leave them unmet.

Living Out Love, Pt. 3

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

- Pastor Danny

"Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

(Romans 12:13-15)

Today we continue our walk though Romans 12:9-21 by taking a moment to consider each of the 30 or so commands within these verses. We have already made it through 11 commands, and we'll keep that pace today by looking at the next 6. Each of today's commands come in pairs.

Contribute to the needs of the saints.

We all have needs. The body of Christ has all kinds of needs, whether they be individuals needing support or ministries needing contribution to do their assigned task. There are many within the body of Christ suffering due to persecution, and we ought not overlook them. This is certainly easier to do now than in Ancient Rome because we have the challenge of distance. Being far away from the persecuted church makes it easy to forget, but may we remember our brothers and sisters and help where we can.

Seek to show hospitality.

Not everyone is able to give financially all the time, but we are all called to give in some way. There are many other ways to give than just with money. Hospitality is a great example of this. Don't be fooled into thinking that hospitality is just for those with big homes and fancy dishes. If you have those things, great! You have lots of ways to bless others. If you don't, however, do not be discouraged. Hospitality is about welcoming others and creating a sense of belonging, whether or not you pull out the china. Hospitality is far more about the intangible than it is about the tangible. Just as Christ has welcomed us in, we welcome others-without prejudice and full of grace.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

These two commands go so much together, we will look at them at the same time. This is such a surprising verse to anyone who has not experienced the love of God through the Gospel. God, though we were His enemies, sent His son to die for us, so that we might become His children. The natural human response in our sinful nature is to curse those who make your life more difficult. Paul here in Romans calls his fellow believers to bless their persecutors, and we know that Paul is not speaking rhetorically here. He has experience with persecution.

Rejoice with those who rejoice.

Rejoicing with those who rejoice is an invitation to join in the celebrations of others with genuine gladness. Through Christ, we have all we need. So even though we may not have what we want in the moment, even things that are good to desire, contentment in Christ frees us to rejoice in the blessings of others.

Weep with those who weep.

Likewise, we can show great compassion to those who are hurting by sharing in their grief and being sensitive to their pain. This spiritual way of "reading the room" allows us to bear one another's burdens and help others to lay those burdens down at the feet of the cross.