Romans 12:9-18

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”
Romans 12:9-18 (NLT)

The Journey Is As Important As The Destination

Sometimes we learn that hardships
Were blessings in disguise,
That earnest work and faith in God
Were proven to be wise.
–Hess

Nothing on earth compares to being with Christ in heaven.

True Compassion Is An Expression Of The Life Of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Someone has said, “We have no permission from Jesus to be selective in our compassion.” It is our natural tendency, however, to choose whom we will reach out to. Perhaps this was the problem of the priest and the Levite in the parable of the good Samaritan. In any event, we know it is often our problem. Jesus mingled with all men, the rich and the poor, the socially acceptable and the backward and undesirable. This willingness to enter into other’s lives is costly. . . .
Our God wants to dislodge us from our comfortable, smug existence, to move us to mingle with our needy brothers, to stir us to touch those we might otherwise shun. Another poet, whose name is lost in history, expresses the challenge well:
“Love has a hem to her garment
that trails in the very dust;
It can reach the stains of streets and lanes,
and because it can, it must.”
This is clearly the brand of compassion Jesus exemplified, and it is the kind of loving outreach He calls us to in our modern world. Answering His call is often a struggle for us. We may pay lip service to such compassion, but the performance is often costly, and we’re inclined to back away. . . .
True compassion is an expression of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is always ready to give, and always willing to sacrifice.

William Fletcher