Category: Romans

Romans 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  

A lot of the advice in these verses feels impossible: Do what is right in the eyes of everyone? Impossible. Live in peace with everyone? Unfeasible. Not only that, but I feel like if you try to please everyone, you are only setting yourself up for failure.

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 

God doesn’t want to set us up for failure, so what is the intent of these verses? I think it is to help us focus on the best of what’s possible. We will never do what’s right in the eyes of everyone, but if we live life with that intent–doing what’s right, always–much good will come from that. If we try to sew peace instead of discord on a daily basis, much good will come from that, too.

Romans 12:19a Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 

Precious Savior, Sometimes I feel mean and small and contentious. I don’t like that side of myself. Help me to adjust my attitude to try to live in peace with everyone (as far as it depends on me). Help me to do what’s right in Your eyes. Help me to live for You and not myself. Amen.

Romans 12:19b …“It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Have a blessed day.

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  

Once again the advice in this section of Romans seems fairly simple and straightforward but not necessarily easy. Rejoicing sometimes comes with a tinge of jealousy. Mourning often comes with the expectation of an expiration date. Harmony happens as long as things are going my way. Pride and conceit end up creeping in.

Romans 12:16a Live in harmony with one another.

I’m not sure we are meant to master these things on earth. I’m not sure–as fallible human beings–that we are capable of mastering them. We need Jesus. Desperately. And our fallibility is made to keep us coming back to the foot of His cross again and again and again. We cannot do this life without His help. We weren’t created that way.

Romans 12:16b Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that I cannot do this life alone, that I need You–every hour of every day, that I can get a little better each day if I try and if I stay focused on You, that You love me fiercely, even in my failures. Help me to draw closer to You each day, to become more like You each day. Help me to keep trying. Amen.

Romans 12:16c Do not be conceited.

Have a blessed day.

Romans 12:13a Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.

Romans 13 is a pretty easy verse to follow. Share with those in need. Practice hospitality. I can do those things. No sweat. But verse 14 proves way more difficult.

Romans 12:13b Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you.—I’m sorry. What?!?—Bless and do not curse. That one is definitely more difficult. My default for those who persecute me is not blessing. Though Jesus showed me a model of it as He prayed, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do,” as the soldiers were crucifying Him.

Romans 12:14a Bless those who persecute you;

Precious Savior, Thank You for understanding that if we curse those who persecute us, we will be chained to anger and bitterness. Thank You for providing us with the ultimate example of “Bless those who persecute you” as You breathed Your last on the cross. Give us the strength to love like You. Amen.

Romans 12:14b …bless and do not curse.

Have a blessed day.

Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  

My preacher likes to say, “It will all be ok in the end. If it’s not ok, it’s not the end.” That, to me, is similar to the idea of being joyful in hope–being joyful in the hope that the sun will shine again…eventually, being joyful in the hope that even if things royally stink, God’s still got you, He’ll never leave you, and He is already eternally victorious.

Romans 12:12a Be joyful in hope, 

The second part of this verse, patient in affliction, is harder for me. I want to understand things–Why did this happen? Why didn’t this other thing happen? Why did God act or not act or what in the world am I supposed to learn from this terrible experience? But God doesn’t promise answers, He promises His eternal presence, that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Never. So even when we are slogging through the muck of life and don’t understand any of it, He’s still with us. He’s still eternally victorious.

Romans 12:12b …patient in affliction, 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminders in Romans 12:12 to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Thank You that You are with us, even when everything feels wrong, even when we don’t understand, even when we are utterly broken. Thank You for Your promises and the reality that You are already eternally victorious. Help us to cling to You. Always. Amen.

Romans 12:12c …faithful in prayer.

Have a blessed day.

Romans 12:9a Love must be sincere.    

These two verses, four sentences, are so simple yet so profound. Love sincerely, not focused on what’s in it for you. Hate evil, cling to good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor others before yourself. Simple, but not easy.

Romans 12:9b Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 

Vocabulary.com defines devoted as meaning, “being focused on that particular thing almost exclusively.” So not only are we to be focused on others almost exclusively, we are to be focused on them in love. How different would the world be if we all took that philosophy to heart?

Romans 12:10a Be devoted to one another in love. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for spelling things out so simply in Your word: Love You. Love others. Be sincere. Be devoted to one another in love. Hate evil. Cling to good. Honor others above ourselves. Forgive us, Lord, that we struggle with such simple, basic directives. Help us to be more like You. Amen.

Romans 12:10b Honor one another above yourselves.

Have a blessed day.

Romans 12:3a For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,  

The analogy in these verses is an interesting one: “…so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” I totally understand liking some parts of my body (my eyes, for instance) better than others (my flabby arms). However, even the parts of my body that perform inelegant functions (I’m looking at you bladder and bowel) are crucial for a thriving life.

Romans 12:3b …but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

In life it is really easy (for me at least) to make snap judgments about people and situations. But just like the body with all its complexity–even the inelegant parts–we are all God’s children. We belong to each other. We need each other to function well, as God intended.

Romans 12:4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 

Precious Savior, Thank You for this reminder that we are parts of a whole in the body of Christ. Thank You for the reminder that we belong to each other. Help us to see as You see, to love as You love….even the inelegant parts. Amen.

Romans 12:5 …so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Have a blessed day.

Romans 12:1a Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God— 

My morning began super early (4:45am to be exact) because my youngest needed, essentially, a favor that only I could provide. I didn’t love getting up so early, and I had to push back my prayer and devo time, but I gladly did it because he’s my child, I love him, and I knew it was something only I could do that would benefit him tremendously. It was a sacrifice, albeit a small one, but I did it gladly so that my child could benefit.

Romans 12:1b …this is your true and proper worship. 

I was most of the way through a five hour car trip today when it hit me that Jesus–Emmanuel, God with us–did the same thing on a much grander scale than I am capable of. He gladly did something only He could do for His children, because we are His, because only His sacrifice would accomplish the goal of eternal life with Him, because we would benefit tremendously from His sacrifice. He loves us. He did it willingly.

Romans 12:2a Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for understanding that I am not equating Your eternal sacrifice with my tiny, earthly one. Yet thank You for using my small, yet willing sacrifice for my child to remind me of Your life-changing sacrifice for me, Your beloved child. I am grateful beyond words for Your loving care. Amen.

Romans 12:2b Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Have a blessed day.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 

As I am reading today’s scripture, I realize that *I* am the one who separates myself from the love of Christ at times. *I* am the one who allows trouble or hardship or persecution etc etc to separate me, to make me feel alone and isolated. God hasn’t moved. I’m the issue here.

Romans 8:36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

The good news is that if I’m the problem, I can absolutely be the solution. But I’ve got to change my default. My default in times of difficulty is to feel beleaguered and isolated. Poor me. Why me? But NOTHING can separate me from Christ’s love–except *me,* and I have a choice.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

Precious Savior, I want to choose You always. Forgive me for the times when I separate myself from You, when I isolate myself and lick my wounds instead of coming to the foot of Your throne and finding rest. Help me to change my default of isolation and to come to You always. Help me to live as more than a conqueror through You alone. Amen.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Have a blessed day.

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

My daily devo this morning contained this gem: “Remember, I am a God of abundance.” That is so easy for me to forget this time of year. I’m in survival mode. The kids are in summer mode. The school days keep coming, and we’re all just hanging on, trying to make it to exams.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 

That mindset doesn’t feel very abundant, but today’s verse reminds me that it’s *my* mindset that has stifled God’s abundance. When I take the time to purposefully shift my perspective to focus on the good things, they *are* abundant. Counting those blessings can keep me busy for a very long time, but if I don’t take the time to manually shift my perspective, the soul-draining things are so large they are hard to see around.

Romans 8:33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You are a God of abundance, that even in our trials, You shower us with blessings. Help us to take the time, to expend the energy, to look for and see Your blessings always, even when we are exhausted and just trying to survive. Especially then. Amen.

Romans 8:34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Have a blessed day.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

I have come to paraphrase this verse as “God can use all things for our good and His glory.” And I often whisper it to myself when things are going awry. “God can use this. He can use all things. And He can use this for my good and His glory.” It’s often a much needed reminder.

Romans 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 

It also reminds me of Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good….” God can use all things, all of them–even things that others meant for harm, for our good and His glory. I sincerely believe that. It gives me great hope, especially when life feels like it’s going sideways and there’s no way to stop it.

Romans 8:30a And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the hope that can only come from You. Thank You that You can and will and do use all things for our good and Your glory. Thank You that You can take what others intend for harm and use it for Your glory as well. Amen.

Romans 8:30b …those he justified, he also glorified.

Have a blessed day.