Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations–Romans 12:10

Posted by Seth on Aug 5, 2009 in Theology |

Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations–Romans 12:10

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Welcome to Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations covering Romans 12:10 where we are instructed in how to love and honor one another.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Christianity is crazy. We’re called to compete over the strangest of things! In describing what new life in Christ is to look like, Paul, under the Spirit’s direction, instructs us on how to best build one another up.

His first focus is on love, a very misunderstood concept in our day. Instead of loving being limited to something that one feels or receives from another, the entire emphasis here is on the giving of love. This kind of brotherly affection is unromantic but of great value, being of the type that is given within a family setting. This kind of love is so constant that it is almost assumed. It isn’t broken by trivial disagreements or personality clashes even though such may come up often due to the close proximity kept. It also stands ready to defend and protect when there is a threat made to either, simply because…you are family.

Secondly, we are to be in competition with one another. But this kind of competition is one where you aim at losing. This means that when we could pat ourselves on the back or elicit such commendation from another, we instead look for a way to lift up a brother or sister. This means that instead of putting ourselves in the right place at the right time for praise to come, we run to the right place and right time to bless someone else. A man at church this past Sunday went out of his way, when I didn’t even see him coming, to grab my arm and thank me for being an elder. This is a guy who, I am sure, outdoes me every day in showing honor. And so, in light of what we are taught here in this little verse about Christian competition, I say to him with brotherly affection, “It’s on.”

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