Not Lagging in Diligence, Fervent in Spirit, Serving the Lord

 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.—Romans 12:9-12

The verses above are a series of exhortations from Paul concerning the believer’s personal attitudes. They are pithy and straight to the point. The Spirit focused me in this morning on verse 11 whose key thought is in the last clause…serving the Lord. 

not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

Pretty convicting…here it is again in the Amplified.

never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord;

Romans 1:1 reminds me, that I, like Paul, am the Lord’s doulos or slave. This is how, as His slave, I am to serve Him.  Not shrinking…not hesitating…not being lazy or slothful, but diligently. I am also to be fervent or “boiling” in the spirit.  When we serve Christ, we often face days of discouragement and opposition either from the enemy within or the one without. Or worse, we can get complacent and serve the Lord out of obligation rather than love.  We forget who we serve.  Serving then becomes a “have to” rather than a “get to”.  

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.—Revelation 2:4. 

Paul tells us to keep our spiritual zeal by remembering that we serve the Lord and not men. 

Colossians 3 came to mind here.  

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

And also Ephesians 2:10:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Father…

I so want to have the kind of devoted and fervent spirit that serves You diligently and enthusiastically. Oh, protect me, Father, from the tyranny of me!  Keep my mind stayed on You! Pour out Your love in my heart. Help me to remember that whatever I do in word or in deed, I am to do it as unto You, my God. Serving You is my purpose. Oh, Father…make it my joy. You alone are my hope. You are the basis for all my rejoicing. Remind me to be continually and faithfully in prayer for Your wisdom and guidance as I walk through my day. In my affliction help me to be patient and kind. Be my strength and my song so that those around me see You and not me. 

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the LORD,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.—Isaiah 40:28-31

Unto You I lift up my eyes,

O You who dwell in the heavens.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,

As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

So our eyes look to the LORD our God,

Until He has mercy on us.—Psalm 123:1-2

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.—Galatians 6:9

Immersed in His Truth…

I spend a lot of time each morning writing about the word, but I don’t spend near enough time thinking on it.  Today by His grace I am going to change that. Today, instead of writing about the word, I am going to spend more time abiding in it. Today I will (again, only by His Spirit) lay aside every unnecessary weight and run the race that God has set before me by drawing near to Him.  I am going to look away from all that distracts and focus my eyes on Jesus. 

Beloved… instead of looking at the news or watching TV or doing whatever it might be that you do when you have some down time…turn instead to the Scriptures. Today, let the word of God strengthen and encourage your heart. Let it soak into your very soul.  Allow His gracious Spirit to give you wisdom, guidance and direction.  Bookmark this page or highlight the passages below in your Bible. When you get some “downtime” read and pray through them over and over again. You will go to bed renewed in mind and heartened in Spirit.  When you get up tomorrow, do it all over again. 

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.—Ephesians 6:10-11

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.—Romans 12:9-13 NKJV

Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good. Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honor; never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord; constantly rejoicing in hope [because of our confidence in Christ], steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to prayer [continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength], contributing to the needs of God's people, pursuing [the practice of] hospitality. —Romans 12:9-13 AMPLIFIED

Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!

For praise from the upright is beautiful.

Praise the LORD with the harp;

Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.

Sing to Him a new song;

Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

For the word of the LORD is right,

And all His work is done in truth.

He loves righteousness and justice;

The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;

He lays up the deep in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the LORD;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

The LORD looks from heaven;

He sees all the sons of men.

From the place of His dwelling He looks

On all the inhabitants of the earth;

He fashions their hearts individually;

He considers all their works.

No king is saved by the multitude of an army;

A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for safety;

Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,

On those who hope in His mercy,

To deliver their soul from death,

And to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the LORD;

He is our help and our shield.

For our heart shall rejoice in Him,

Because we have trusted in His holy name.

Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us,

Just as we hope in You.—Psalm 33 NKJV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.—Ephesians 1:3-14

The Silver-Haired Head Is a Crown of Glory…by Bill

The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness. (Proverbs 16:31 NKJV)

Being an old man now, I fall into the category of the silver-haired. I am frankly surprised at this every day. Maybe that lack of retention is one of the merciful functions of advancing age?

The verse above tells me that because I am old, my gray hair is a crown of glory. Imagine that! It’s shocking, really. To think that there is anything about me that God considers glorious is astounding.

It is of course conditional. My head is a crown of glory IF (and only if) it is found in the way of righteousness.

Now we know from other Scripture that any righteousness I possess is in Christ, for in me, nothing good dwells (Romans 7).

Given who I know I am, this makes perfect sense. 

In and of myself, I fall far short of the glory of God. But through faith in Jesus, when God looks at me, He sees His glorious Son in me.

I didn’t do that. He did.

I can, and must take responsibility for my sin, but only the Lord gets credit for my righteousness. Without Him, I can do nothing (John 15).

The beauty of all this is that the longer I walk with the Lord, surrendering to His will and goodness, the more glorious I become. Where the world sees a weakening old man with decreasing value, the Lord sees a precious jewel being refined and glorified by being transformed more and more into His image.

Like I said: astounding.

What is true for me is, of course, true for all Christians. 

And our part in this refining process is so simple even a doddering old man can participate effectively.

What do we do? We seek Him. We surrender to Him. We submit to His will for us. He will do the rest.

“…thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV)

On Being Kindly Affectionate…

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; --Romans 12:10

  

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,

We are in Romans 12, verse 10.  This section of Scripture, as I have said before, is one of the most practical in the Bible.  It is very simple and very easy to understand.  Not much I can do as far as exposition is concerned that Paul has not done.  🙃He has made his point very clear.  As I read Romans 12:9-21, (see below)  however, my eyes always seem to fill with tears.  I don't know about you but the world that I live in and most of the people I know are not this way.  Believers have the desire to live this way  but their execution like mine is far from perfect.   None of us, sadly, will get it right until we meet Him face to face....until we awaken in His image. I so want to be this way to those around me, though.  Paul says this in Philippians and truly it is the heart attitude that we need in this life to live for Christ.

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Romans 12:9-21 call us to a supernatural type of living that can only be done by the Spirit of God living inside us. Outside of Christ this type of living is impossible. Do you remember the "therefore" at the beginning of this chapter and what it meant?  Because of all that was written in the previous 11 chapters...because of what He has done and the promises we have in Him, we are to respond by presenting ourselves to God as living sacrifices. We are to put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.  We are to look and act differently from the rest of the world.  Our conduct should be worthy of the Gospel of God. 

We already looked at loving genuinely, hating evil and gluing oneself to what is good. Verse 10 tells us to be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. John MacArthur says that the words kindly affectionate in the Greek is made up of two words meaning love.  So it could say be lovingly loving.  Here is the meaning in the Strong's:  cherishing one’s kindred, especially parents or children); fond of natural relatives, that is, fraternal towards fellow Christians: - kindly affectioned.

I think on it this way...we are to cherish and treat those around us as gently and kindly as a Mom treats a nursing infant.  Do you see how unnatural that would be in our flesh.  I know how I felt about each one of my nursing infants...I do not feel that way naturally for those that God puts in my path...if I manifest that kind of love at all it is the Spirit of God inside me...not me.  It is also the love I feel toward other like-minded believers.  I could be in a room with a group of strangers, but if they are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ it does not take long at all to develop common ground and a unique sense of unity and love with them because of our fellowship in Him.  It is definitely supernatural...I have never encountered its likeness in the world.  Matthew 18 says this:

"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me."

If you receive another believer, you are receiving the Lord Himself.  I have seen the kindness and love that Christ Jesus has for us manifested in my church family over and over again.  It has been demonstrated to my own family many times. They have lovingly loved us.  It is one of the precious benefits of being a child of God.  Beautiful,  like minded fellowship with other believers.  

Paul goes on to say with brotherly love. John MacArthur says that the verse could read then like this.  "Be lovingly loving with one another with loving love."  I really don't think we have much space in that sentence for argument or loophole. 

1 John 5 says this: "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him."  Pretty simple...a believer will love God and love those who belong to Him. We are to be tender-hearted toward one another and forgiving.  We are to love one another in truth and sometimes we have to say some hard things in loving them truthfully.  Listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 4.

"I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.  For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.  Therefore I urge you, imitate me.  For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.  But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.  For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.  What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?"

Loving parents not only love their children fervently but warn, exhort, encourage, speak the truth, and make sure they keep the right company.  A loving parent sets an example that a child can imitate...and there should be no disparity between that parent's word and deed.  A loving parent will  speak gently and in love but at other times speak with a rod of discipline.  This is how we are to be in the family of God.  We are to love one another in truth.  Sometimes our love will be caring..sometimes concerned...sometimes confrontive, but it should always be led by the Spirit of God whose love is shed abroad in our hearts.

The second part of this verse takes our love even a step higher.  It says that in honor we are to prefer one another.  We are to put the other ahead of ourselves.  Still reading?...Good.  Love like this takes humility.  We are to jump at the chance to be first not in what we want, but in giving another what they desire.  We are to prefer them over ourselves. We are to love them sacrificially. Jesus is our ultimate example here.  

"Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,  fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." --Philippians 2:1-11 

We need the mind of Christ to be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love and to prefer their needs to ours.  A mind of humility, submission, meekness and fervent love.  Christ is our example. He has done so much for us.  Our constant desire should be to please Him, to walk in obedience to Him and worthy of the grace and mercy He has shown us.   

Show others Christ by giving honor, giving preference, giving care, and meeting the needs of those He has placed in your life. Give yourself completely to Him and " "Be lovingly loving with one another with loving love."

Love

Mom

Romans 12:9-21 

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. 

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rathergive place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord. 20 Therefore

      “ If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

      If he is thirsty, give him a drink;

      For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”[b]

   

 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The LORD Has Made All For Himself…by Bill

 

The LORD has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom. (Proverbs 16:4 NKJV)

Why are we here? What is our purpose? Where are we headed?

The resolutions to these three questions I spent decades pursuing, never arriving at any satisfactory answers until the Lord graciously brought me into His Kingdom by drawing me to His Son.

Why are we here? Because God created us for His good pleasure.

What is our purpose? To be in a loving relationship with our Creator.

Where are we headed? It’s simple, really; into eternity, either to live forever with Him, or be cast forever as far from Him as it is possible to be – outer darkness, where there will be everlasting weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Bible, because it is of divine origin, and is the very word of God, so simplifies life that when we come to it in faith and understand its truth, it is easy to feel like a fool for all the idiotic misconceptions we labored under prior to salvation.

“The Lord has made all for Himself.” He is therefore both the origin and destiny of all that is. Everything, everywhere, in both the material and spiritual realms, exists because of His conscious and direct volition. Without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:3)

“Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.” God takes responsibility for all things and every outcome.

By His sovereign decree, evil is allowed to thrive in the world for a brief time because of the curse of sin. This will be the case  until He makes all things new after the Day of Judgement.

He sent His Son to the Cross to suffer and die in our place, making Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

That was also part of His good pleasure and purpose. Without Christ’s sacrifice we, too, would be inevitably relegated to the day of doom. In Him, we are saved.

When you doubt your purpose, when you doubt your worth, do not let Satan deceive you into hopelessness. 

Instead remember why you are here and where you are headed in Christ.

Unless the Lord Builds the House…

 1 Unless the LORD builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the LORD guards the city,

The watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early,

To sit up late,

To eat the bread of sorrows;

For so He gives His beloved sleep.

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth.

5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

They shall not be ashamed,

But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.—Psalm 127

I need to read this Psalm every day not only as a prophylactic for my tendency to act first and pray later, but also to help me take a step back from the many microcosms that tend to consume my life and see the reality of the big picture.  What is the big picture?  Without Him I can do NOTHING. Without Him all I do is vain and futile. Jesus made it pretty simple in Matthew 6:33:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

And again John 15:5:

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Beloved…the Lord is Your Keeper. He is Your shade at Your right hand. Don’t leave Him out of your life. The most profitable time you will ever spend is the time you spend with Him. Choose as Mary chose, the better part…the part that can never be taken away. (See Luke 10:38-42 below)  Abide in His love.  Seek His wisdom and strength for everything you face. Make Him Your highest priority.  Commit Your way to Him The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.—Proverbs 3:5-6

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.—Psalm 121

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.—Psalm 37

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."

41 And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."—Luke 10:38-42