Love must be sincere. (Romans 12:9, NIV)
You’ve heard all the adages about commitment in golf.
If you’re going to make your best swing, you’d better commit to the shot you have in mind.
If you’re playing with the lead, you make an aggressive swing to a conservative target. (Actually, that’s probably good thinking most of the time.)
To make your best stroke, whether it’s a drive, a hybrid, a middle iron, a wedge, or a putter, you have to accelerate through the ball. No backing off.
What if we understood our practice of faith with the same idea in mind?
One of the most practical sections of the New Testament letters is comprised of the middle verses of Romans 12. They contain a lively list of imperatives, nearly all of which require more conviction than we typically live with day to day.
It begins with the seemingly simple statement that love must be sincere. And yet here is the bedrock. No pretending, no waffling, no half-heartedness. Love with all you’ve got. Only in practicing such robust love can we handle all the coming directive rightly. And here they come:
Hate what is evil.
Cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another.
Don’t lack for zeal as you serve the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Give to the needy, welcome strangers and friends alike.
Bless and do not curse—even those who would curse you.
Rejoice with the rejoicers; mourn with the mourners.
Do not be proud, do not be conceited, do not take revenge.
Overcome evil with good.
This is an activist’s life! You really can’t read these words of God through the apostle and say to yourself, “You know, I think I’ll just sit back and be a Christian.” The Jesus life is a busy life. Not busy in the way you and I know busy, with our calendars full of things that make us feel important. No, the Jesus life is busy with actions that cause others to recognize his love.
So forgive me, but I’m going to leave off here. I realize how much I need to do.
—
Jeff Hopper
October 14, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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