Reading Paul’s list of exhortations to the Romans makes me tired. Seriously.
Rid your life of hypocrisy. Love deeply. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence in zeal. Share with the saints. Pursue hospitality. Live at peace with everyone…
With everyone? Really?
Paul. I need some coffee. And also, when am I supposed to binge-watch my TV shows?
In all honesty, when I compare my life to the lives of the disciples, I begin to see why Paul fills 1 Corinthians 4:6–13 with so much irony. I practically live like a queen compared to Christ’s beloved friends back in the day and compared to much of the world today. Most of my time is spent concerned about how I’ll choose to spend my time.
I catch myself daydreaming about the life the world tells me I should have: a life with a passionate (never rocky) marriage to my soulmate, a clean and immaculate house, a career that’s advancing, children that are thriving, and plenty of time at the gym maintaining the body of a teenager. To top it off, the world tells me I need to portray this “perfect” life to the world on social media, to attract more followers.
With this world as my guide, adding Paul’s list to the mix is absolutely impossible. There are not enough hours in the day to do both what the world demands of me and what God desires for me. And so I have to choose.
Every single day I have to choose whom I will serve: my flesh or my God (Romans 12:9). Some days, I make the right choice. Some days I make the wrong one. This is the life of a work in progress, one that God promises to bring to completion in His time.
Perhaps that’s why Paul tells us to “cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). If good was an easy, simple thing to hold onto, why would he tell us to cling to it? I know that in my own life if I’m not clinging to God, the natural inclination of my heart is one of jealousy, coveting, and destructive daydreams. So while it seems like what Paul is cautioning us to do should be obvious, I know it to be oh-so difficult to put into practice. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. I know that If I’m clinging to something, then I’m desperate, grasping. I’m holding on for dear life.
These passages remind me that my very life is at stake and that evil really is evil. Paul pokes at my carefully built life, reminding me that Christ’s path of goodness, stillness, and quietness is the only route to peace. I can rest knowing that the battle is the Lord’s. But I can’t assume that rest and peace will come without effort on my part, without my choosing God. I must cling to Him and let go of everything else.
Dear Lord, help us to hold on.
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50 thoughts on "Christian Ethics"
Amen! Dear God, don’t let me lose my grip.
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♥️♥️♥️ Needed this reminder to cling to him in my life.
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Amen! Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. CLING. Lord, may I cling to You today and everyday. Clinging to Your ways always.
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Happy Monday she’s
There is so much truth about the carnality of human nature in today’s devotional (Thank you CLAIRE GIBSON, we all need honesty and transparency in order to grow… and you surely delivered truth without compromising). The topic of today reminds me of the book called “The best Yes” by Lysa TerKeurst. It was a very interesting read that draws me to her, and it does teach me on discerning what are the good “yes” that I need to say no to, in order to reserve myself for the best yes (from God). There are many false expectations & demands placed on us, and if we respond to the seemingly good ones, there goes our time and limited energy. This is also tying into the discerning levels we read the other day, knowing what’s good, acceptable and the perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).
One note that stood out to me is, “Bless your enemy, bless and not curse”. The word BLESS means “to speak well of” according to Strong Concordance and my KJV bible study note. Speak well of those that hurt us. The mouth shows the condition of the heart (wounded, offended, bitter, prideful, resentful, envious, jealous). “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, ]hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil “(Luke 6:35). Praise God for He is kind to the unthankful. And I can do all things through Jesus who enables me. May the Lord cleanse our hearts of the hidden lurking evil. Sometimes He uses evil or unfavorable situations to show us what’s inside our hearts. May we lean on the grace of God to speak well of our enemies, as our obedience to God.
@LAURA: praying for the love of God to flow through you without hindrance. I struggle too, to love those in sin (especially deliberate sin), but that’s when we humble ourselves to get more grace in these areas of need, that we may climb higher in the things of God.
@TRAIA LANDRUM: praying for healing on your C-section and many blessings for your baby, rest and grace for you dear mama. Praying sleep is not too elusive!
@HEATHER LANDRUM: thinking of you and continual prayers over you, dear daughter and husband.
Be blessed dear sisters. May the Lord be with you and show Himself to you every day :)
KRISTEN MARINO – thank you for your words today. I, too, need to get my thoughts under control. Recently, I have been thinking and re-thinking about things that happened more than 30 years ago. I keep asking if there was anything I could have done differently to have a better outcome. I’ve also been thinking about mistakes I made in raising my daughter (who is now 43) and feeling guilty for those mistakes (which I confessed to God long ago and received forgiveness). And if I’m not think of those things, I’m thinking about the last couple of years of my mothers life and how I could have spent more time with her, and been more helpful when she moved in with my husband and me. Oh, Lord, cleanse my mind and fill it with thoughts of you, and if things which are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report and virtuous. May my those sing praise to You. Amen.
HEATHER LANDERS – I’m praising God that your husband entered the faith based rehab program. I pray for him to work hard while he’s there, and that he will walk his path to recovery. I’m praying for you and your daughter and for healing and forgiveness for all who have been hurt.
HEIDI—you are so right. Is it for YAHWEH? I have to remember that too. Our God is so gracious even to give us a list of loving guidelines to live by to keep us free from the darkness of the world.
HEATHER—praise God your husband chose the program! Praying for the Lord to captivate your husband’s heart and bring him deep peace and healing. Also praying for healing for your heart and that the Lord will give you peace as He is in control of the whole situation. ❤️
TAYLOR—praying that the Lord meets your every need and gives you satisfaction in your time with Him. And leads you to the relationship He has planned for you from the beginning.
CEE GEE—praying that the Lord shows you that He is fighting for you. And that you know you are worth fighting for. He will never give up on you.
KRISTEN MARINO—praying that God shows you how precious you are no matter what your husband did, and that it was not your fault. And thank you for praying for me and baby!
RHONDA J—praying for miraculous healing of your pain and that the Lord sits with you every day through your healing.
AMANDA HESTERBERG—congrats on the new puppy! Little critters are such sweet blessings from the Lord!
Thank you ladies for praying for my recovery and for my baby boy. I am so delighted in him! God is so kind to me to give me such a sweet blessing. I am also blessed with family to help me while I am healing. Our God is so good.
God bless you all today! ❤️
COLLEEN DEVEAU – Thank you for the beautiful prayer.
Oh I want to honor you today, Lord. Thoughts, actions, words. All of it.
Love without hypocrisy. I had to think on that one a bit. In my NIV commentary it says “sincere love” – true love, not pretense. The love Paul speaks of here is not mere emotion but love in action.
I struggle with the word love, weirdly enough, because of the situation with my daughter. We love her so much, but can’t support or condone her lifestyle, and so even though we feel like it is loving to be truthful to her, she sees it as hate. I’m thankful that there is so much written about love in the Bible and will continue to ask the HS to make true, sincere love clear to me. I seek God’s direction always in how to handle this most hurtful and difficult situation with my daughter and her partner.
GRAMSIESUE – I also wonder will I ever get it right..
LISA Z – I’m a smarty pants too often…
HEIDI – Tattoo on you eyeballs, lol!
TAYLOR – So good to see you back! I was just thinking about you the other day.
COLLEEN DEVEAU – thank you for your words.
I feel like I need to print out Romans 12:9-18 and put it where I will see it daily. We read, but how quickly we forget what God asks of us. It’s amazing how strong the flesh can be. Cling to Him and let go of every thing else.
Oh Lord give me the grace to hold on to you and things that matters to you, thank you Abba Father.
I love this reminder of choosing daily who I will serve! It sounds so easy but there is always a struggle with our selfish nature. That is why we must constantly guard our hearts and minds!
May I look today at what I cling to and what should be given over to our God. Blessings all.
TAYLOR—Welcome back! I was just thinking about you this morning before I saw your comment and wondering how you were doing. I know you long for a lasting relationship and I understand that. I pray that you can wait on God’s perfect timing for that and be at peace right where you are now. ❤️
TRAIA LANDRUM—Congratulations on your new gift from God! Take care of yourself and rest in the Lord!
CEE GEE—Praying for all you have going on, sweet sister! May God give you strength and peace!
KRISTEN MARINO—May God give you the strength to dwell on “good things” and leave the past in the past!
MARI V—Praying for you in your new position and for Alyssa (and all other students) as she starts this most fabulous senior year!
Love you all! Praying for each of your needs!
“I must cling to Him and let go of everything else.” Thank you Claire Gibson for this reminder.
After I read Romans 12, I jotted down in my journal all that we are to do. My closing thought was – “wow! That’s a tall order to fill.” But God…it is only through Him that we are able to be successful in any of it. Choosing God instead of everything else. Fixing my eyes on Him. Every day we have a choice. We can choose to love or choose to hate. We can choose to be joyful in hope or we can choose to feel hopeless. We can chose to be faithful in prayer, or we can neglect it…and the list goes on. I am so thankful, grateful, blessed to have the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, as each of us in Christ do. He is my help, He is my strength and with Him I will continue forward, one step at a time!
@Taylor – welcome back! You were missed – continuing to pray that in God’s time, He will bring that special someone into your life.
@Heather Landrum – I am so sorry to hear what your family is going through. Praying for your husband – that he will get the help he needs, that he will go to the Christian rehab, that he will with Christ be able to beat this addiction once and for all! Praying for you and your daughter. May God give you grace and peace as you wait.
Have a blessed Monday sisters!
GM! This Romans study is so good and convicting! It’s crazy how those verses never get old that we have heard so many times. But, we must keep striving to obtain this attitude. And yes, it is so hard in modern times- But God, he calls us to a higher level as children of his. We must align with his will. I have on my memorization list for this year Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be persistent in prayer.
Living in chronic pain for 19 years…I think I have been very patient, making the best of it..but boy does it wear on you slowly. And then when the last 8 months the pain is amplified and more restricting in my daily activities- it’s hard to keep a smile on and not complain (grumble). But again, it could be worse, and I am grateful to God that I can do as much as I do! Nothing goes past God that he doesn’t let happen to us for the good of me (me- because I love him!)
@Taylor- SO glad you are back, we have missed you and wondered what was holding you away! I know it is so hard in the dating world and trying to navigate relationships! Be patient we say, harder in reality!
Many good comments today that I can’t recall exactly who to respond to!! I think Searching mentioned one of my FAVORITE songs…”I Speak Jesus!” I first listened to the Front Porch version, but love, love the Charity Gayle’s version! She can sing! I had never heard of her before.
Love the Litmus test as well. Holding everything to what is true and good…not focusing on the bad and negative thoughts(then grumbling and complaining follow..)
Good to see you @GrammsieSue, and I concur…will we ever get it right?? But I love this path I am on, I might stumble and fall, but I don’t want to get going on the WRONG path that will only lead to destruction. Although the right path (narrow) will lead through valleys and mountains, and some venomous snakes might be there, or a bear to try to get me…I will run fast on the same path toward God and they will be left behind! Thank you Lord for being with us every step of the way, giving us strength and guidance on the path of righteous that your so graciously allow us to be on, for you..that leads to eternity in your arms!
YES, in agreement with Claire, “Dear Lord, help us (me)to hold on”. This has happened mainly at work. Unfairness, injustice, and down just not right! I keep and kept in mind Romans 12:19, Vengeance belongs to the Lord. When it’s in HIS hands, He takes better care of it than I would. Even when I was tempted to take care of it on my own, I held onto my Jesus, knowing that he has me. Did I do it right every time? Nope. But I held on. HAPPY Monday sweet She’s!
Please pray for my daughter Alyssa. Today is her first day of her senior year at school. She’s already nervous.
Clinging to what is good.
Clinging to God.
Letting go of everything else.
Sounds so simple.
Not always easy.
But necessary.
Yes, I am a work in progress. Sigh. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever get it right.
But God…
Hugs and prayers for all. ❤️
We just got a puppy and it’s a humbling experience to need to learn to prioritize something’s priorities over your own. I found myself missing “me time” and doing things I wanted to do but that’s exactly the attitude these verses and devotion are going against. Cool to see God uses personal examples in my life to reinforce these ideas!
“Paul pokes at my carefully built life, reminding me that Christ’s path of goodness, stillness, and quietness is the only route to peace. I can rest knowing that the battle is the Lord’s. But I can’t assume that rest and peace will come without effort on my part, without my choosing God. I must cling to Him and let go of everything else.”
Just last night I was lamenting to God that I KNOW His Word says He will fight for me and I need only to BE STILL and how I don’t see any evidence that He is fighting for me. There is so much on my heart that I can’t share here, but I truly needed this today, CLAIRE GIBSON; THANK YOU!!!
TAYLOR – So good to see you back! Like Michelle, I had a feeling that was the case. Praying for your heart in the aftermath. ❤
KRISTINE LOUGHMAN – Love that analogy! Such wisdom! Praying for this first full week of school!!!
Amen, Claire! Yes, Lord help us to hold on to You. thinking about John 66-69:
66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,
69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
Hallelujah! May this be seared in our minds!
@Tina, you reminded us of what Scripture says about thinking of whatever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things!
A former pastor at my church did a message on this. He said this Scripture should be a litmus test for our thoughts. Something may be true, but is it lovely, pure, just or honorable? If not, don’t think on those thoughts. I had been obsessively thinking about my husband’s affair. My thinking WAS Not HELPING! Please ladies, don’t do what I did! Of course, it doesn’t have to be that same situation, but if you are dwelling on something that doesn’t pass this litmus test, please pray for help to let it go!
I will need to do this on most days. I could be anxious about something that might not even be true or I may be worrying and playing scenarios out in my mind. I may be thinking about something not lovely. May God help me to be quick to repent and cling to Him. May the Holy Spirit bring to my remembrance a Scripture to focus on instead! So many reasons to read Scripture and hide His Word in our minds. I hope this helps! I need to heed this message too!
@Samantha A , you reminded us about renewing our mind! I looked up commentary on Philippians 4 like I referenced above and this mentioned Romans 12:2!
This is what the Enduring Word commentary said about Philippians 4:5; Meditate (Think) on these things: Much of the Christian life comes down to the mind. Romans 12:2 speaks of the essential place of being transformed by the renewing of your mind and 2 Corinthians 10:5 speaks of the importance of casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. What we choose to meditate on matters.
i. What Paul describes here is a practical way to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
It all ties together!
Congratulations to Traia! Praying for you all!
“Cling to what is good” is my reminder for the week!
I relate to this so much!
I hear don’t get stuck in my head. Be at peace with myself and others. Be kind and compassionate. All are actions. Being gracious and merciful comes to mind. Most parts of social media do not support that.
Father You know the worldly ideas I am clinging to. Holy Spirit help me change my perspective and my heart. In Jesus name, Amen
Mathew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Romans 12:9-21 Love must be sincere [without hypocrisy] Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal [enthusiastic devotion], but keep your spiritual fervor [passion], serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On 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.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
**You’ll notice I put [brackets] on a few words. I liked how the CSB version said love without hypocrisy, and I liked how the NIV said love must be sincere. So I used brackets to combine the two. The other brackets I used to define words more clearly. Reading these verses with the brackets really drives home the point!! God FIRST. Love second. Self LAST. Never do anything out of selfish ambition, motive, provocation, excuse. GOD is the judge and the avenger not us!! This is important to remember!!! Always seek God with sincere and genuine passion. Be humble, righteous, honest & truthful. Be in harmony with The Spirit and you’ll be at peace in every other aspect & relationship in your life. May we be more concerned with God and His Way than we are about ourselves!! May we love what is good and detest & reject what is bad [what isn’t of The Spirit or of God’s character & attributes]. Amen.
@Lisa Z- same here! I sometimes think my own opinion is better than others. I have always had that weakness, that sense of pride. I have to be careful of it. God has def humbled me a lot over the years, but pride always has a way of trying to stay present in my life! Lord, have mercy on us.
@Taylor! We have been praying for you. Welcome back!
I had a sense something like that may have happened. It is good conviction has caught up to you and God has reminded you what should be first (Him). In my younger twenties, I definitely struggled with this as well, so you’re not alone. It is hard to trust the Lord in the area of romance, when you see others receiving what you desire. I’m right there with you! May the Lord bless your Bible time and bring you new perspective as you study with Him, knowing He is not a good who teases us and “holds out” on us. May He show you He is worth putting first :) as Jesus reminds us to this morning in Matthew 22:37. Praying you stay consistent, despite life’s temptations!!
I’ve been spending the last many months choosing to serve myself over God. I put 100% effort into a relationship that seemed very promising, but I ended up sacrificing my precious morning time with God to do so. Well, sure enough that relationship ended so now I have another chance to choose who I’ll serve: myself or God. I want to choose God again. I am so thankful for a God who is rich in mercy who will always welcome His children with open arms. And I am thankful for this community who I know will do the same :) I’ve missed you my SRT sisters! Hoping to be more present here again <3 I want to cling to God and let go of everything else.
I love that!
Yes, Lord, help us to hold on and cling to You.
KRISTINE LOUGHMAN – grab the outstretched hand, grab the steady hand … love this!
TRAIA LANDRUM – congrats, praying for your c-section recovery
HEATHER LANDRUM – continuing to pray for hope and healing
Watched the video (several versions) this morning for a song that’s on repeat in my mind – I Speak Jesus by Charity Gayle featuring Steven Musso. My fav is noted as live (showing length as 07:47).
Romans 12 is always such a kicker!! We (I!!) so quickly and easily start using cultural norms that we have spent our lives living in/influenced by as our measuring stick of righteousness, so to speak. We honestly let those things dictate how justified we are in our actions/reactions than we do God’s instructions and I do honestly believe we do it so unintentionally most of the time. It makes 100% logical sense in our world to repay evil with evil – or, if you want to be seen as “kind”, then you maybe don’t “repay”… regardless, one thing is clear, you definitely don’t forgive. I don’t know, I feel like I need to have this passage tattooed on the inside of my eyelids!!! lol! :) And what is so beautiful about following the words written here is that not only does it serve as representative of Christ on earth – but it is what is good for US too.. It is actually healing for our hurting, dismissed, disrespected, dishonored hearts that have been injured by others around us.
“Reject evil, cling to what is good”… I KNOW I have already shared this info, but I have to remind myself of it often so I’ll share again in case anyone else finds it useful. I can get easily confused on what is truly evil… So many things that really do look “good” on the surface are in fact just not. A prof said last semester, “Evil people can do a lot of good things – their good things are not what makes them good or evil. Are they FOR YAHWEH? That is the only question to define good and evil.” – So, I have to apply that to what I choose to spend my time on – am I doing this to honor my God? Am I doing this IN A WAY that will honor my God? “Check yes or no and make your choice” ;) I wish it was something I could just do and not have to think about so intentionally, but that’s where I am I guess.
It’s nice being able to be on here earlier and read/process/pray – but I miss getting to read what is going on in everyone’s day if I don’t get time to come back later and check in. Praying for you to be encouraged in your day and your walk and see Him in new things today :)
Thank you Jesus for holding on to me! You are always there. You never let me go. I cannot let go for you hold me in your hand and love me and comfort me and protect me and provide for me. I am nothing without you! So grateful this morning. ❤️
What do I cling to each day? What do I need to let go of so that I can cling to God and His goodness?
I have the Bible verse posted in my classroom by the sink with a mirror. “Cling to what is good.”
Beautiful words, thank you!
“Do not be wise in your own estimation.”
Wow, do I feel convicted there! My eyes landed on that sentence and could not help reading and rereading. This is a major stumbling block for me. Thanks for the reminder, Lord! Thank you for Your great love that does not get stuck on my weaknesses as I do. Give me the strength to hold fast to you. Help me notice and back away from my smarty-pants attitude.
Hold on! Ha, how many times a day do I I utter those words to my students. But holding onto one thing means you probably had to let go of something else. I’m picturing every action movie where the main character is grasping the side of the (cliff, helicopter, window ledge, etc), about to fall. Suddenly a hand appears out of nowhere! But to grab the outstretched hand, the promise of safety, our hero has to let go. Let go of that unstable surface that’s about to plunge him to his death and grab the steady hand instead. Talk about a leap of faith! I’m glad for the reminder in todays reading that some days we grab the hand, some days we have to ask for a do-over.
Cling to what is good. “Good” as defined by God. Jesus said “only God is good” (Mark 10″17-19).
Without surrendering self to the Spirit every day, nothing on this list that God wants us to do is possible.
TRAIA LANDRUM – congratulations and prayers that you have a quick recovery.
I echo those last words of the devotion by Claire Gibson, “Dear Lord, help us to hold on,” as I lie in bed this morning as I read, not my usual posture, as I feel that I just cannot get up today. My body is fighting this favorite discipline of mine today, and I still live in more luxury than I will ever realize. I found myself praying this morning for those who cannot as easily reach for the cool, clean water they need but have to travel miles for just a sip. Father, make us more aware. Make us more grateful. Let us “share with the saints in their needs” and humbly open our doors in love (Romans 12:13). Let us be more eager to be uncomfortable for the benefit of others — In my flesh, as I pray these words, how I wish I could shut my mouth and take them back… but Lord, I know You “desire faithful love and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). May we not do this to earn our right standing with you or our own holiness, but Father, change our hearts and may this come from a pure heart of love. These are Your people, our family; may we love them as You do. Help us to care for our enemies as much as we care for our brothers (Romans 12:20). Help us to see each heart and soul as You do. It may be difficult, Lord, but please, Abba, help us to hold on. Your will is so much greater than ours. Your ways are so much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). Help us to trust You in these arduous but so much better ways of living. Be our guide; be our light. Thank You for never leaving us alone in this. We love You.
So very true! What a powerful mindset check at the beginning of this new week. Thank you, God, that you are daily transforming us by the renewing of our mind!
May we cling to you and your Word with every fiber of our being.
So very true! What a powerful mindset check at the beginning of this new week! Thank you, God, that you are daily transforming us by the renewing of our mind! May we cling to you and your Word with every fiber of our being.
“Dear Lord, help us to hold on”. Amen!
Dear lord help me to hold on tight to You. Help me to cling to what is good, noble,true, right, pure, lovely, honourable, and true.. of You..
Lord, I pray in Jesus’s name, with a thankful heart for your love and grace..
BUT GOD..
AMEN..
Happy Monday friends! Prayerful for your day to be covered in hope, grace, love and hugs..❤️
Amen