Love Each Other With Genuine Affection
Romans 12:10 A short reminder from Paul’s epistle to the Romans that we should show love and good manners to everyone
“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
Romans 12:10 NLT
When I look over the verses I’ve written about over the past 14 months, I find that Paul’s epistle to the Romans is the source of many devotionals. It’s not surprising — Romans is the most straightforward and organized presentations of Christianity in all of the Scriptures. He starts by pointing out the sinfulness of all humans and the condemnation from our rebelliousness against God.
God offers us justification by faith in Jesus, so we receive salvation through Christ’s blood. Paul then teaches us that our pursuit of God doesn’t stop there, but continues as we are made holy (sanctified) through our persistence in following Him. Paul’s explanations provide a complete, logical demonstration of how we can be saved from the penalty of our sin.
Today’s verse is short and sweet, a command from Paul that Christians should not have a cold or unfriendly attitude toward one another. Our displays of affection as brothers and sisters in Christ should be honest and warm, and we should always seek to bring honor to others — not ourselves.
More than anything, Romans 12:10 is a concise call for unforced good manners toward our fellow believers. Something as simple as a friendly smile and direct eye contact with those we meet in church shows our love, and we should always take delight in honoring others. And why stop at the church door? Our love needs to extend into the real world, as unfeeling and cruel as it may be. We can make a difference.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your gift of love. Pour Your love into my heart so that it streams through me to my fellow believers and also to those who have yet to accept You into their lives. Teach me to truly love others and to consider their needs before my own. In the name of Jesus my savior I pray, AMEN.