Written by: Naomi Hill – Youth For Christ
Romans 12 v 4-8
Each one of us has a body with many parts, and these parts all have different
uses. In the same way, we are many, but in Christ we are all one body. Each
one is a part of that body, and each part belongs to all the other parts. We
all have different gifts, each of which came because of the grace God gave
us. The person who has the gift of prophecy should use that gift in agreement
with the faith. Anyone who has the gift of serving should serve. Anyone who
has the gift of teaching should teach. Whoever has the gift of encouraging
others should encourage. Whoever has the gift of giving to others should give
freely. Anyone who has the gift of being a leader should try hard when he leads.
Whoever has the gift of showing mercy to others should do so with joy.
Notes
Think about your body for a moment – OK, you may not like some bits of it too
much, but no matter what your body image is like, you can grasp the concept
that Paul is trying to get across here: as followers of Jesus we are like
different parts of a body, because we all have different uses. You may not
have legs like David Beckham, but they’re so useful for you to get around.
You may not have a voice like Beyonce, but without it you wouldn’t be able
to communicate. Every bit of you has a different use, and in the same way,
every one of Jesus’ followers has a different use because we’re all part
of His “body”.
So, listen, recognise that you are useful, you do have a part to play, even if you haven’t discovered what that is yet, you are part of a bigger team – you are a vital part of the bigger picture.
At Christmas we think about gifts. But God gives us spiritual gifts. So, what if you haven’t discovered what your gift is yet?
Here are my top tips:
1. Ask God what He wants your part in His body to be;
2. Listen to whatever He tells you and do it, relying on His Spirit to help
you;
3. If you don’t hear directly from God, get involved with something at your
local church and keep asking.
And what if you want confirmation that this is your gift?
Something is probably your gift if:
1. You enjoy doing it;
2. You see it being a blessing to others;
3. Mature Christians recognise it as a gift in you.
Maybe you want to pray something like this…
Father, thank You that You want me as part of the body of Jesus. Thank you
for the gift You have given me to use. Please help me to rely on Your Spirit
to be as useful as I possibly can be for You. Amen
Romans 12 v 9-13
Your love must be real. Hate what is evil, and hold on to what is good. Love
each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honour than you
want for yourselves. Do not be lazy but work hard, serving the Lord with
all your heart. Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble
comes, and pray at all times. Share with God’s people who need help. Bring
strangers in need into your homes.
Notes
Let me ask you a question: why do you text your best friend with some kind
words when it seems like they’re really upset? Why do you go out of your
way to visit your boyfriend/girlfriend even when you’d prefer to be at home
watching a DVD? Why do you do the washing up on Mother’s Day? LOVE. That’s
what Paul’s talking about in these verses – love, real love.
One thing is obvious through these verses – love is a verb, a “doing word”; it’s action. If Jesus had said one day from heaven, “I love you guys down there”, I might have believed Him, but it wouldn’t have made a real difference to my life. But the kind of love that Jesus showed us meant that He stopped what He was doing in heaven, took on all the limitations of being human, and suffered physical, verbal and spiritual abuse, even to the point of execution. That is love. Real love means that you put yourself out, you go out of your way for the person you’re showing love to; it means that their life will never be the same because of the love you show them. That’s what Paul’s talking about when he says: “Your love must be real”.
Paul gives us some examples – giving someone more honour than you want for yourself is loving them; serving the Lord with all your heart is loving God; sharing with God’s people is loving them; welcoming strangers into your home is loving them.
Go ahead, think about it…
How are you going to go out of your way to put love into action today?
Maybe you want to pray something like this…
Father, thank You for showing me that You love me and not just telling me.
Help me to do the same for the people I spend time with today. Amen
Romans 12 v 14-16
Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them. Be
happy with those who are happy, and be sad with those who are sad. Live in
peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with those who seem
unimportant. Do not think how clever you are.
Notes
There’s a weird, but fantastic thing in the kingdom of God that I like to call
the “opposite is attractive” principle. It’s where God takes something that
we as people take for granted and He turns it upside down, does the complete
opposite with it and it is really attractive. For example, Jesus said: “Many
who have the highest place now will have the lowest place in the future”
(Mark 10 v 31). In other words, the winners in this life will be the losers,
and those who are seen to be the losers in this life will be the winners.
That’s what this passage is all about.
Paul says, if someone does something to hurt you, don’t do the natural thing of wanting to hurt them back. Choose the supernatural way – wish them well instead. If someone’s happy, don’t be jealous of them, be happy with them. And if someone’s sad, don’t secretly rejoice at their misery, be willing to cry with them. If it’s a choice between making friends with someone who could help you get on in the world and someone who needs your help, do the right thing and make friends with the one who seems unimportant.
So, as you go through today, think about how you can put the “opposite is attractive” principle into practise. Stop and think before you make a decision each time and choose the supernatural way over the natural way. It’s a truly counter-cultural way to live, and Jesus loves it!
Maybe you want to pray something like this…
Father, thank You that You have a better way for me to live than just conforming
to how the world does it. Help me to live in a way that goes against the
flow of the world and brings a smile to Your face. Amen
Romans 12 v 17-21
If someone does wrong to you, do not pay him back by doing wrong to him. Try
to do what everyone thinks is right. Do your best to live in peace with everyone.
My friends, do not try to punish others when they wrong you, but wait for
God to punish them with his anger. It is written: “I will punish those who
do wrong; I will repay them,” says the Lord. But you should do this:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink.
Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head.”
Do not let evil defeat you, but defeat evil by doing good.
Notes
Think about a time when someone did something to hurt you - maybe you found
out that your friend said something hurtful about you behind your back; perhaps
you felt let down when someone dropped you in it by wrongly accusing you
of something. How did that make you feel? You probably wanted to lash out
at the person who had hurt you. Maybe you wanted revenge on them.
This is exactly what Paul is talking about here – advice for real life situations where you need help to do the right thing. In a situation where you would naturally act out of raw emotion, and where it could have negative effects, it is best to decide how you will act beforehand, to safeguard against doing the wrong thing that you might regret later. Paul is encouraging us here not to have a knee-jerk reaction and take revenge, but to let God deal with that person.
So, practically, why not take some time now to think about the kinds of situations that do make you angry and want to react negatively, and give them over to God now, asking Him to help you leave them in His hands.
Here’s an action plan:
1. Recognise the sorts of situations that make you mad;
2. Decide where/who you will run to next time something like that happens;
3. Make a promise to God that you will leave it to Him to deal with those situations/people
in the future.
Maybe you want to pray something like this…
Father, I’m sorry for the times when I’ve taken things into my own hands to
take revenge for when I’ve been hurt. Please help me to leave these things
in Your hands in the future. Amen
Romans 13 v 1-7
All of you must yield to the government rulers. No one rules unless God has
given him the power to rule, and no one rules now without that power from
God. So those who are against the government are really against what God
has commanded. And they will bring punishment on themselves. Those who do
right do not have to fear the rulers; only those who do wrong fear them.
Do you want to be unafraid of the rulers? Then do what is right, and they
will praise you. The ruler is God’s servant to help you. But if you do wrong,
then be afraid. He has the power to punish; he is God’s servant to punish
those who do wrong. So you must yield to the government, not only because
you might be punished, but because you know it is right.
This is also why you pay taxes. Rulers are working for God and give their time
to their work. Pay everyone, then, what you owe. If you owe any kind of tax,
pay it. Show respect and honour to them all.
Notes
OK, so don’t immediately switch off from this passage if you’re not interested
in politics. It’s not just about the government and party political broadcasts!
Paul is talking about how we relate to authority. Some people find it really
hard to submit to authority, but Paul explains that there need to be people
in authority over us – it’s for our good. Don’t believe me?
OK, we need authorities to enforce speed limits, otherwise there would be even more children killed on the roads than there already are. We need authorities to organise the health system, or where would you go if you broke your leg or got a sudden illness? We need teachers in authority, or how would you get through your exams?
If we accept that all kinds of authority are necessary, Paul says that we should respect those in authority over us. So, how can you work this out practically? Here are some suggestions…
- Be willing to accept instructions on how to do something –
don’t be too proud, always thinking you know best.
- Support those people who have direct leadership in your life – pray for your
church leaders; respect your college tutor by getting work in on time.
- Honour the government’s decisions by obeying the law – speed limits included!
Maybe you want to pray something like this…
Father, thank You for having the idea of putting people in authority over others
– I recognise that otherwise there would be chaos! Help me to respect those
in authority over me, and help me to treat well those I am in authority over.
Amen
Romans 13 v 8-10
Do not owe people anything, except always owe love to each other, because the
person who loves others has obeyed all the law. The law says, “You must not
be guilty of adultery. You must not murder anyone. You must not steal. You
must not want to take your neighbour’s things.” All these commands and all
others are really only one rule: “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
Love never hurts a neighbour, so loving is obeying all the law.
Notes
“Loving is obeying all the law” – what a great phrase! It sums up the gospel.
In the Old Testament, showing devotion to God was done through obeying the
law, but since Jesus came, it’s all about love. Jesus made the way open for
us to have a relationship with God, whether or not we have kept every commandment
there ever was. In fact, He knows we can’t keep it, so He has taken the punishment
for every time we have broken God’s law, so we can be in God’s presence and
show our devotion to Him through loving Him and loving others.
I’m from the UK, but I have friends from the States and they have a great phrase: to “love on” someone. It simply means to love them, to pamper them, to make them feel special, to show them you care – to love on them. I get the feeling that this is something of what Paul is talking about here. Rather than needing to check out what rules and regulations we must be keeping to, we are now free simply to love on other people. So go ahead - today, cherish the fact that you don’t have to live by a set of regulations and laws, but use your freedom to love on your family, your friends, those new people you’ll meet, even the bus driver and shop assistant you’ll see briefly.
What a place the world would be if we saw every day as one big opportunity to love on those around us!
Maybe you want to pray something like this…
Father, thank You that You’ve freed me from living a life of rules and regulations.
Please help me today to experience the joy there is in loving You and loving
other people. Amen
Romans 13 v 11-14
Do this because we live in an important time. It is now time for you to wake
up from your sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first
believed. The “night” is almost finished, and the “day” is almost here. So
we should stop doing things that belong to darkness and take up the weapons
used for fighting in the light. Let us live in a right way, like people who
belong to the day. We should not have wild parties or get drunk. There should
be no sexual sins of any kind, no fighting or jealousy. But clothe yourselves
with the Lord Jesus Christ and forget about satisfying your sinful self.
Notes
This is a wake-up call. To those who have been getting involved in sinful behaviour,
it’s time to get clean. To those who have been getting away with living a
half-hearted Christian life, it’s time to step up. To those who have left
the fight for people’s salvation to others, it’s time to take up the challenge.
To those who have only been interested in satisfying themselves, it’s time
to please Jesus instead. It’s time to wake up!
Why is it time to wake up? Because Jesus coming back to bring our full salvation is closer than ever before. We belong to the day, we belong to ”that” day, the day that’s coming when every tear will be wiped away from our eyes, the day when we will see God face to face, the day when we will begin our eternal worship of Him, that day is coming. That’s where we belong. We need to be living in the light of that day.
When my pastor left our church and moved on to another, his parting words to the church were: ”Live not for today but for eternity; it’s far longer”. I want to be at home in heaven and different here on earth, not the other way round. Let’s live in the light of the fact that we will spend eternity with Jesus, and start living like it now. Paul says you should “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus”; in other words, to put on His characteristics.
Maybe you want to pray something like this…
Father, I’m looking forward to spending eternity with You. I want to be ready
for it, so please help me to live in a way that pleases You now. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes