Living in the Spirit
August 28, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 12:9-21 

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. —Romans 12:9-13 

I have always had a pretty good memory but as I age I am relying more and more on lists and digital calendar reminders. I have found over the years that there are times, for example, when I get very busy or when I am distracted from what I must do by something not related to what I must do that I tend to run on what I dub “automatic pilot.” I must lean back on God and let God establish my priorities getting me through the musts, probably ignoring some of the “shoulds” of life.

We must be well prepared to rely on “automatic pilot” and Paul’s to do list of everyday stuff is a great place to start. Think how much simpler life would be if we could make each item, in this laundry list of behavior, a habit. They say it takes six weeks to form a habit. Trying to make all of these behaviors habits in six weeks would be a daunting task. But if we took one at a time, worked on one with intentionality for six weeks and then moved to the next, I think we would be surprised at how our life and, more importantly, our service to God would blossom.

First we would have to “chew” on each for a while. What is genuine love? How do we know when it is happening? What does the word hate really mean? Next we must practice what we have discerned. Third we need to be at least accountable to ourselves and to God.

It strikes me as I review this list that the tasks get easier as they go. For once we learn to love in a genuine way and to hate evil it will be easier to hold fast to good. Once we have shed the weight of not loving genuinely and of being ho hum about evil, we will have more energy for zeal and an ardent spirit.

Prayer: Lord, foster in me the intentionality I need to live in harmony with your will. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.