Day 221: Unpacking Romans 12- A True Christian

 Romans 12:9-10

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.

We have talked about love and the importance of loving one another. It is our calling as Christians, the second greatest command. One thing I want to talk about today is the importance of doing more than just saying you love someone because that’s what you’re supposed to do as a Christian. For lack of better words, don’t pretend to love people because it makes you look like a better Christian. Don’t talk about how much you love people in order to elevate your status as a Christian. We have to really love people and it shows in the way we treat them, the way we talk to people, and the way we act towards strangers. Love is genuine, we cannot walk around spreading fake love. When we love someone it’s for the other person, when we pretend to love someone it’s for us, and it comes from a selfish place.

I believe that through this passage, God is telling us how to be true Christians. He showing us what it means to be a true Christian by telling to be authentic in our ways. God can see through the fakeness in all of us, He can tell when we are pretending. We know when we’re pretending, and we have to call ourselves out on it. We have to check ourselves, and check our intentions and make sure that the way we are living is genuine. A lot of times, our motives have a lot to do with how we act and ultimately how we treat each other. We have to ask ourselves why we do things sometimes, what our motives are. Are we doing something for someone because we really love them or because it will make us look or feel good. Yes, love feels good it’s an amazing feeling to love and be loved. But we must make sure that we are not showing love to saying we love someone because we are chasing a feeling. It’s not always about that, sometimes we have to set ourselves aside for the sake of someone else. Sometimes (not all the time) we have to set our feelings aside in honor of someone else.

All this to say, let your love be genuine. Don’t choose the image of a good Christian over the authenticity of a true Christian. Meaning being true to your faith and the word of God is so much more important than an image.

Reflection

1. Have you found yourself trying to put up an image of a good Christian?
2. Have you ever done something for someone because of what you will get out of it?
3. Is your love genuine?

Prayer Time

Allow you answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Talk to God about what it is to be a true Christian, and letting your love be genuine. Have an honest conversation with God. Also be honest with yourself.

I love you, I hope you an amazing Day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 222!

Day 56: Don't Give Up!

You ever think about giving up, because it would be so much easier. Things can get so hard sometimes, to the point that we would rather not deal with it. Sometimes giving up seems so much easier. Let me be the first to tell you that easy isn’t always good. Let me also be the first to tell you that you are still here, for a reason. God hasn’t given up on you so don’t give up on yourself.

2 Chronicles 15:7

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

As I write this with tears running down my face, I must say that sometimes the hardest thing to do is hold on. When we don’t see anything happening, when we have been praying, and pleading, reading our bible, and doing everything we know is right. We still have to wonder, why am I still struggling. Why does it seem to get harder, why does everything seem like it’s getting worse. But it is in these moments, in the moments when we are ready to throw in the towel or give up everything. These are the moments where we take everything that we have and hold tighter. The moments  when praying is the hardest thing to do, we pray harder. This is when we truly grow in our faith and dive deeper into the Lord, because one day it will pay off. I know it’s hard, I know it sucks, I know our shirts and pillows are soaked with tears, but one day we will weep in joy, One day our work, our faithfulness, it all will be rewarded. We reap in harvest time.

There is a time between planting and harvesting, and that is called growing season. We cannot just give up in the middle of growing season or we will never see the fruit of the seeds we’ve planted. The growing season is the time where you have to water the plants for weeks and mouth before you even see a stem sprout. It’s the time where you have to cut the weeds so that plants can grow properly, We do a lot of work during growing season, but it is the consistency that keeps us going. We hold on the picture we see that one day this tiny plant will be a huge tree, it may not look like it now, but that small sprout, needed some time to grow it’s roots, so that when it grew, it would be unmoveable.

It’s the same with us, we are going through our growing season, and we will go through many of these throughout our life. It’s the time where we don’t see that God is working because everything seems to be spiraling out of control. But our faith and knowledge of His plan for our lives keep us going. By faith we know that God is working on our behalf. He is watering, he is feeding us nutrients, cutting away the weeds that get wrapped around us. He is rooted us in Him so that we will be unmovable. One day it will be harvest time. He says that we will receive the proper harvest in due time if we do not give up. We’ve come too far to turn around, we’re almost there we have to push through it. We have to know that the Holy Spirit is right there guiding us, Jesus is at the right hand of God cheering us on and interceding for us. Although the devil is betting against us, God knows that we are going to get through this. THere are so many people rooting for us, the first of them being our heavenly father.

I know it’s hard but it’s so worth the fight, everything we are going through is worth it. What makes it so bearable is that Christ is on our side. I know the fight is long, and we feel like we don’t have any swing left in us. But Jesus is in our corner, we have some fight left in us, It might take all the strength we have, but when we are running off of the strength of Christ, we can do things we never thought we could. Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens. Nothing is exempt, no matter what it is, we find our strength in Christ and we can do it, whatever “it” may be, we can get through it. God isn’t done with us yet. Hold on, keep fighting, keep watering. The harvest is coming.

It’s okay to cry right now, but keep fighting, even if you fight with tears running down your face. Keep fighting. Give yourself three minutes to feel bad for yourself, and then you get up and you keep fighting. You have to keep pushing, whatever you do, don’t give up. You may slow down but don’t stop, keep going!!!

Psalms 126:5

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

Reflection

1. Are you going through a hard time right now?
2. Have you ever been in a place where you felt like giving up, or are you currently in that place?
3. What stopped you from giving up?
   
   

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions to guide your prayer today. Maybe you are not in a place today where you feel like giving up, and that is amazing. But take the time to pray for those who are, pray that they are strengthened in their faith and find hope in Christ.

If you are going through this right now, reread the passages above, know that Christ is rooting for you, know that God has His hand on you. Everything you are going through is worth the fight because the reward will surpass it all. I know it’s hard right now but keep going. Open your heart to God, even if you have no words, He knows what you are going through. Even if all you have to give at the moment are tears, God sees them. Know that we fight strength in His word, and through His son. Don’t give up, God’s got you.