The List

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Romans 12:9-13

In our walk with God, there are things that He does and there are things that we do. In Romans 12:9-14 Paul gives us a list of things that we do. We don’t do them apart from God, but we do them through Him, unto Him, and because of Him.

Paul makes it clear that the things we do are an outflow of the love that God has put within us. He tells us that our love should be genuine, a real and sincere manifestation of the love of God. God’s love in us is expressed through us in various ways—through our words, our attitudes, our actions, our choices, and our character.

Let’s look at the things Paul tells us to do.

Abhorring: Abhor what is evil…It’s okay to hate and detest certain things, to have nothing to do with them, and to keep them as far away from us as possible. Evil is one of those things (You who love the LORD, hate evil! Psalm 97:10.) Anything that is devilish, bad, lewd, malicious, or wicked is evil. If evil tries to get close to us we must push it away, if it tries to get in our thoughts we must reject it, if it tries to make us fearful we must not give it any ground. The answer to evil is always “no” and it is something we should always flee from.

Clinging: cling to what is good…God not only wants us to run away from what is evil, but He also wants us to run toward what is good. Goodness is something we are to wrap our arms around and fully embrace. Our relationship with goodness should never be an indifferent one, a casual one, or an occasional one. We are to have a superglue relationship with the things are good, creating a bond from which we cannot be pulled away.

Loving: Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…One of the things that believers have in common is that we are all members one of the same family. Being devoted to one another is an expression of the tender care that is common among those who live together in a family. Being devoted to one another in love means to give genuine affirmation, express deep appreciation, and convey heartfelt affection to those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Preferring: give preference to one another in honor… A practical way that we can honor others is to put their needs, their advancement, and their overall success above our own. We give preference to others, when through our example, take the lead in demonstrating what it means to be considerate, respectful, and thoughtful.

Not Lagging: not lagging behind in diligence… God does not want us to become sluggish, bogged down, listless, or running late regarding the things that He asks us to do. We are not to be people who are burdensome or hard to deal with. Always be on time and up to date regarding the things of the Spirit. Do not be like the frantic rabbit in Alice in Wonderland who went about saying, “I’m late, I’m late for a very important date.” Walk in the Spirit, at His pace, and stay in step.

Serving: fervent in spirit, serving the Lord… When we serve the Lord we enter into a love relationship that binds us to His heart for others. Our expressions of love are always done through Him and unto Him. It is something we do from the heart, not indifferently, not coldly, but from a spirit that is bubbling over with compassion and tender care.

Rejoicing: rejoicing in hope… A serving heart is a happy heart that is filled with the assurance of knowing that it is pleasing Him. A servant of the Lord can walk in fullness of joy because his confidence, expectations, and hope are in the Lord and not in man.

Persevering: persevering in tribulation… God wants His people to stick it out, even when things are tough. Every servant of the Lord will face various kinds of hardships, difficulties, testing, and trials. Just because we walk and serve out of love, it does not mean that everyone will receive or welcome that love. We also have an enemy who will try and hinder or discourage us from giving love. When we face persecution, whatever the form, we are to preserver in our love, never losing heart or hope. We must never give up doing what His love is calling us to do.

Praying: devoted to prayer… We are to pray and keep on praying. Prayer is not an afterthought or a last resort. Jesus said, “Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” Don’t lose heart when you’re knocking, asking, and seeking after God in prayer; don’t lose heart when the needs are great; don’t lose heart when you have to wait; don’t lose heart because God may seem slow, but He is never late.

Contributing: contributing to the needs of the saints… Those who care will be those who share. Within the body of Christ there will always be needs to meet. Often, God involves many people to meet the need of one. It is important for us to know what we are to contribute.  We may not be able to do everything, but we can do our part.  

Practicing: practicing hospitality… There’s an old saying that’s fitting for hospitality, “If there is room in the heart there is room in the home.” We don’t need a big home to extend hospitality to others, but we do need a big heart. It is the love of Jesus, not our expensive dishes or fancy furnishings that will touch the lives of those who come into our homes.