Living Peaceably with Others
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[b]says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[c] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Tommy's Thoughts:
I remember many times where I shocked others and myself with the temper I had. Whenever I was provoked or wrongfully accused, I tend to get really upset and angry. I tried ways to manage and by keeping calm but often fail. After the great rush of anger was over, I always regretted to have reacted in such a way.
Today passage is a good reminder from God to help me realizes the danger of being such a reactive person. If I’m not careful, I might end up putting myself in a serious and difficult situation or conflict with others. Paul said “Bless those who persecute you”. Instead of repaying evil with evil, we’ll make great, positive changes by overcoming evil with good, tact and kindness.
Dear Lord, thank You for making me aware to be careful by controlling my anger, to overcome any evil with good, instead of taking matters into our own hands. Teach me to live at peace with everyone and to trust You more. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Bee's Thoughts:
What is love? In grammar, love is a "verb" or "action" word.
How do we love? 1 Corinthians 13 describes love.
Now in this passage it shows us the practical aspects of love. Love...
is "sincere (v9) -- genuine, truthful
is "devoted" (v10) -- dedicated, committed
"honor" (v10) -- respect, hold in high regards
is "faithful in prayer" (v12) -- steadfast, regularly praying for
"share" (v13) -- partake, use jointly
"practice hospitality" (v13) -- cordial reception, generous
"bless" (v14) -- well wishes
"rejoice" or "mourn" with others (v15) -- shows empathy
"live in harmony" (v16) -- compatible in opinion and action
"do what is right" (v17) -- what is proper
Who have we loved (base on the above aspects)? I guess not many if we were to answer truthfully. We are limited by our human capacity and find it hard to love everybody equally. But for those whom we claim to love, the above passage is a test of how much we love them.
Dear Lord,
You are Love. Come into my heart that Your love may overwhelm me and overflow to others. I acknowledge that I can't love so many people in the way You want me to at one go. But for those that I do love, let me love them in Your way. Let this love grow stronger each day as I grow in You.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
