Family
This week we are going to use our devotionals to go through a different one of our values or cultures each day, and to spend time thinking and meditating on what it looks like for us to live these out even in lockdown, in this unique time that we’re living through.
Pause:
Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus.
Pray and ask him to open your eyes as you read the Scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.
Read:
Romans 12:9-18
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Going Deeper:
During this strange season, it could be easy to lose sight of God’s heart for us. Many of our normal rhythms and reminders are disrupted, and we may be dealing with more fear or anxiety. Yet, thank God for His Word, which He is happy to use to speak to us and meet us where we are! In a time where we might feel aimless, this passage in Romans is packed full of direction and encouragement toward how to live as God’s people, especially as the family of God.
First, let us remember that anyone in Christ has been born again into a new family, and we are all brothers and sisters with the same good Father: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). We have been adopted as his sons and daughters, and we will receive the inheritance that only Jesus deserves—an eternity of knowing and loving God. As our Father, God is eager to teach us how to live as genuine brothers and sisters in this new family.
Recently, we saw a friend join the family of God for the first time. He approached my husband with a huge smile and shared, “You’re my brother now! For real—my true brother.” This was especially meaningful for our friend, because both of his biological brothers rejected him when he became a follower of Jesus. Followers of Jesus are rare in our context, and occasionally this friend will meet a visiting Christian from Taiwan or Australia or immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Each time, he’s delighted, exclaiming, “My brother!” May God renew our sense of awe and joy at being part of the same worldwide family!
With that in mind, let’s look at this passage together. In this passage, God exhorts his family with an important command: Let love be genuine. A verse later, he even encourages us to show brotherly affection to one another. Being part of the family of God doesn’t mean that we are suddenly dropped into a house of strange people and told to figure out how to live as uncomfortable roommates. Instead, God asks us to have a genuine, affectionate, warm love for one another.
Genuine affection often looks like the message, “I’m glad to be with you. I enjoy you.” I have sometimes heard Christians say that we are commanded to love each other, but that doesn’t mean we have to like each other. However, that’s simply not true! God, the Creator who has the power to change us, and whose “love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us,” has commanded us to genuinely enjoy each other (Romans 5:5). There may be Christians that we get frustrated with or that our personalities clash with, and that’s normal in any family. And we will undoubtedly sin against one another. But in the middle of conflict and reconciliation and discomfort, may God grow our genuine warmth for each other!
In this time of social distancing and not shaking hands, genuine affection may not always look like hugs or fist bumps. What are some other ways we can show brotherly affection to our brothers and sisters in the family of God? There are always heartfelt texts, thoughtful care packages, or compassionate prayers. However God leads us, whether now or in a less-distanced future, may we grow in showing genuine love for each other.
This passage is also flowing with other exhortations and ideas on how to live as the family of God. I pray that God would speak specifically to you about how to express your genuine love for your fellow saints, whether by weeping with someone who’s weeping or by moving toward peace in a hard relationship. He may also be leading you to extend an invitation to those around you to join God’s family, to consider being adopted by the Father of the universe. Or, our Father may simply want to remind you of your adoption—your preciousness in his sight.
May His Spirit lead you toward following him in any of these good directions, and may He give you a deeper and deeper sense of your inclusion and belonging in a worldwide spiritual family. By God’s grace, may each of our local church families grow in being truly devoted to one another, committed to meeting together (even in creative online ways these days), and genuinely loving one another.
Pray:
Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to you from this passage this morning.
Listen:
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you this morning?
Apply:
What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and the Spirit?