Love In Action
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:9-10
God looks at our hearts, not just at what we do and accomplish. We can do actions in the name of love but not have the right heart and be completely missing it.
We must also cling on to what is good. There is evil all around us every day, we cannot escape it, yet, we must hate it and not tolerate it or compromise in any way. We should be separate from evil. Whether we think it is only a little evil or full-on evil. No amount of evil has any part in God, so it can not have any part in us.
Love is real and authentic, it clings to what is good, and it is devoted. To be devoted means that we put others and their needs before our own. We must honor others by seeing them the way God sees them and loving them as He loves them.
Many times, we can be more focused on ourselves and what we need, but God wants us to put our focus on Him and His people. He will take care of everything else.
Let’s break this verse down into three parts and look at how we can apply it to our lives.
How do we love sincerely: We love sincerely by loving as Jesus loves. We do not just do actions or say the words. We have a love in our hearts that can only come from knowing real love ourselves. To love sincerely, ask God for a greater revelation of His love. Reading through the book of John helps in this regard
How do we cling to what is good: In Colossians 3:2, it says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” In this verse, we see exactly how we cling to what is good. We have to set our minds on God and the things of Him. We can’t be focused on the world and the events of the world. We can be aware, but it should not be our focus. Spend more time in God’s word instead of social media and the news.
How do we honor others: Honoring others is simply seeing them as God sees them and treating them from that knowledge. Ask God how He sees the people around you. Ask Him for encouraging words for others and share them with them. Pray for other people. Serve as you have the opportunity.