Romans chapter 12

vs 11

How many times have you had to hear this? I honestly don't know that many people whom I would describe with "spiritual fervor". I think for all of us it tends to wax and wane. Probably those who have the ability to commit more time (usually freed up in some financial capacity) are more regularly ferverent. Missoes definitely are.

This makes me think about my own problems. So often I think up a big solution to a problem like this, which becomes unwieldy, when surely there are just some little things I could be doing that I could continue with and would pay zealous dividends.

vs 12

These verses sound so cliche because I've heard them so many times. But read them for what they are. Joy - that often flighty and secretive fruit of the Spirit that is difficult to put your finger on - comes out of our hope. While some of us might think that smiling through pain and suffering is the spiritual thing to do, Paul says here to be patient in it - the true attitude of someone with hope, really. And the last jab of faithfulness in prayer is always a difficult one for us. Why is prayer so hard?

vs 13

Notice that it's the Lord's people. General charity at this point may have been mentioned under the gift of giving, but this is a specific command to charity within the church (smaller and greater I'd say).

As for practicing hospitality, I would say that is like the charity that points inwards towards your house, rather than outwards towards the world. Like bringing the world into your house. Or something. Something that you perhaps didn't know is that the word philoxenia contains within it a specific undertone of strangers. That is, your home should be open to strangers. I'm glad to say that I think mine has been.

vs 14

Not that we really live that much under a savage regime of persecution here in Australia. But I think it can be quite easy for us to see those who persecute Christians as the "bad guy" - how much hate was there towards communism because of that? How much hate is there towards Islam because of that? How much cursing are we involved in against Athiests I wonder?

vs 15

We all know that mourning with those who mourn is not easy. I find it particularly difficult, I think. I find the things over which people mourn generally uncomfortable.

But if you think rejoicing with those who rejoice is any easier, riddle me this. Your non-Christian friend is pregnant and doesn't care who the father is. Joy!? Or your Christian friend has decided to marry someone who is pulling them away from church. Woo?! Quite often, those things our non-Christian friends rejoice over we cringe at. I honestly don't know what to do for them. Rejoicing with them is like tacitly approving their bad behaviour. I find that concept of "Why can't you just be happy for me because I'm happy?" a very difficult one.

vs 16

Ouch. Yes, I will admit that often I do feel as if I am superior to others. I probably don't associate with people of low position. Do I even live in harmony with others? I probably try at least to do that, but mostly by way of non-proliferation treaties.

vs 17

Everyone? When what is right so easily conflicts between Christian worldview and non-Christian, that can sometimes be harder than it sounds. But also, I find sometimes that I just want to be counter-cultural and not do the things that I know I don't have to because I have freedom. I should probably learn something from that.

vs 18

I think 'peace' is probably more active than the 'don't invade each other's airspace' that seems so prevalent in our world and society.

vs 19

I have worked hard on this one over the years. And yet it is still so easy sometimes to feel wronged and feel a need to strike out against someon.e

vs 20

I must say that, of all these verses, I find this one entirely palatable. The idea that you do things to shame people has lost a bit of its sheen these days, because we don't have much of a shame culture anymore. But just knowing that someone might feel bad for treating you badly because you only ever treat them well - that would surely be the work of the spirit, and so encouraging.

vs 21

At the end of the day, we are meant to be the victorious ones, not the beaten ones. But every time we give in and do something off our own bat to try and solve problems, that's pretty much playing into evil's hands.