Romans 12:14-18
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:14-18 (NIV)
When our Devotion assignment is emailed, the following instructions are included:
“I have included Scripture readings for each day's assignment, but feel free to change yours if something else seems to work better for you. Some of the readings are lengthy, so if there is one particular portion that seems to speak to you, you can focus on that.”
These verses definitely speak to me, but unfortunately, I often have a difficult time following their message. I’m able to avoid cursing those who persecute me, but asking God to look favorably on them isn’t an action I’ve taken. Living in harmony with one another works for those I share similar views with, but for those who don’t necessarily share my views, I pretty much distance myself from, or limit my time with them.
In order to provide perspective on verses 14 – 18, I read the remainder of Chapter 12, and verse 2 seems to provide an “ah-ha” statement. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. For followers of Star Wars, this verse from Romans Chapter 12 sounds like it could be a quote of Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back. The Force in Star Wars, which Yoda utilized, was powerful, but didn’t rely upon his physical strength as a Jedi Master. As Yoda exhibited to Luke Skywalker, size and physical strength didn’t matter when it came to The Force and to life. Like Yoda was teaching, in order for Luke to utilize the power of The Force required him to be transformed through the renewing of his mind.
How can I take the first step to be transformed and renew my mind? Then to make the decision to bless those who persecute me, to live in harmony with one another, and to live at peace with everyone? For each of us, it may be a different path. Possibly for me it may be resisting the temptation to lash out at someone who has spoken ill of me or harmed me, and praying for the Holy Spirit to provide me with the strength to forgive and bless them. Or possibly asking a friend you respect how they find the strength to forgive and bless those who persecute them, or how they try to live at peace with everyone. Overcoming the temptation to choose the wrong path is a battle of moments for all of us. I pray that I can take the first step on the path to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, and not conform to the pattern of this earthly world.
Questions for Reflection:
- How many times do we respond out of fear, when someone has “persecuted” us? As Yoda stated in The Phantom Menace, “Fear is the path to the dark side…fear leads to anger…anger leads to hate…hate leads to suffering.”
- How can we overcome a fear, which eventually leads to hate and suffering? Many times our own suffering.
- Rather than listening to respond to someone who has a different view than ours, how can we listen to understand their view(s) and strive to live in harmony?
Prayer
Holy Spirit, Jesus provides examples through His life and teachings of forgiving those who persecuted Him, rejoicing with those who were rejoicing, and mourning with those who were mourning. Help me to realize that Your power is great, and in order to not conform to the pattern of this earthly world, I need to be transformed by renewing my mind. Through prayer, daily devotion and taking the first step to act in accordance with the verses from today’s devotion, I pray that I can please God and live in harmony with everyone. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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