Romans 12:9-10
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:9-10 (NIV)
"Leave anyone or anything in your life that brings negativity behind." I can’t count how many times I have heard that in my life. It’s such a simple notion, but it bears repeating regularly. The verse for today brings this to mind as we “hate what is evil [and] cling to what is good.”
Over the last few weeks, I have started journaling to help me recognize those good things and process the ones that I can leave behind. It’s therapeutic to write down all the people that have contributed positively to my life. In some cases, these friends and family have helped me through recent rough patches in my officiating career. As you can imagine, not every experience I have as a referee is a positive one. The genuine love between other officials to help each other through hardship continues to be one of the reasons I love that avocation.
Sincere love and care cannot be manufactured. Our actions demonstrate to others that we are devoted to one another. As the perfect example of love, Jesus shows us what it means to be truly devoted to one another whether washing another’s feet or sacrificing Himself that we may live. This passage echoes that sentiment and encourages us to do our best to mimic Jesus to make our world a better place.
Questions for Reflection:
- Where do you find people, things, distractions in your life that need to be left behind?
- What good things of genuine love have you experienced that help you recognize sincere love in yourself? In others?
- What does devotion to one another in love mean to you?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending the perfect example of sincere love and honor to the world in your Son, Jesus. Help us strive to be more like Him so that our world will be a better place. Help us recognize and remove the evils in our lives with help from Your strength and others’. Amen.
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