Pastor’s Thoughts – 03-22-2026

Years ago, I was asked by my employer to visit one of my employer’s local charities which was called The Battered Women’s Shelter. This is an agency that was created for abused women to find refuge from a physically abusive marriage. Visiting and speaking with those women was an eye-opener. The marriages would begin with promises, commitments, and aspirations of love. However, the purported relationships did not last and instead became the antithesis of love and were characterized by abusive and absurd behavior. It is easy to see in such circumstances the difference between what something is purported to be in accord with love and what it becomes in action. As Christians we know of the depravity of mankind and mankind’s capability of acting in ways contrary to the character of our loving God.

In Romans chapter twelve following Paul’s admonition to, “Present our bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1); Paul then goes into some detail of how that service is expressed to God by our love and service not only to Him but to one another. Of the commands for us in the Scripture none is more obvious in its repetition as the command of God to love Him and to love one another. Our love for God is often expressed as leading to love for one another. All Christians by their new nature will love God, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). This new relationship with God brings both privilege and responsibility. In this same section on service (Romans 12), Paul uses the Greek word logikos, which the NASB translators have translated “spiritual” to describe our degree of service. The King James translators have used “reasonable.” The Greek scholar, Kenneth Wuest uses two words, “rational sacred” service. You can see from the translations how the scholars have wrestled over the right expression of the special nature of our service. The point is that because of who God is and what He has done for us, we are privileged to render our lives in service to Him.

After making our service to God a priority of living, Paul explains that it means using our gifts and resources for the specific benefit of others. Paul tells us, “Let love be without hypocrisy, abhor what is evil; cling to what is good” (Rom. 12:9). This is in the context of relations among brethren. He establishes this as foundational for all Christian relationships. Because he emphasizes “love without hypocrisy,” he makes it clear there is a distinction between Christian love and the world’s concept and effort of love. The word “agape,” which is used here is God’s love in action. It is the self-giving relational love displayed by Christ on the cross. We should recognize that His love had nothing to do with our worthiness because we were sinners, and as Paul earlier expressed even enemies of God (Rom. 5:10). Not only that but God had nothing to gain. Paul stated of God, “Nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything, since He Himself gave to all people life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25). So here is the peculiar nature of God’s love for us, that it was not reasonable as we think of reason. It had no basis except for something from His own self, and yet our love for each other, which He requires of us, is described as reasonable because of what He has done for us.

Paul also tells us regarding this love for one another that we are to, “Abhor what is evil, and cling to what is good” (Rom. 12:9b). This tells us that love is not being easy minded, but is associated with discriminating judgment on behalf of others. We must engage in doing what is best for them. He uses very strong terms to emphasize how this love is to be shown. The word “devoted” is the natural affection or instinctive love we have for members of our family, as is also seen by the term, “brotherly love.” Then he adds something very contrary to the self-centered thinking of those without Christ. He addresses a love of total unselfishness. He says, “Give preference to one another in honor” (Rom. 12:10b). The idea of preference is to go ahead of the person to prepare the way. This is what servants of a king would historically do. We are to take a role with those our brethren in Christ as not only putting them in the best possible light on their behalf but also seeking their benefit in every situation. The idea of “honor” is that they are to be valued and held in a position of our affection and respect. To think in these terms forms what God would have as our perspective toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. To put this in the simplest terminology, we should be constantly falling all over ourselves to benefit those our brethren.

How do we do this? It is interesting that Paul began the focus of his instruction on how we are to serve God by serving one another by first stating, “I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think” (Rom. 12:3). Our renewed mind from the Scripture is the starting point that should move us away from self-importance or pride. We should see ourselves before God as who we really are. Pride is at the center of where there are inappropriate responses to God and a lacking in our service to one another. It debilitates us from expressing the love God would have us demonstrate. Brethren, I am not only reminded of my own shortcomings in this area, but also of what was stated of the persecuted early church by those observing, “My how they love one another.” Our service to God includes our service to one another. When our hearts are joined to each other, we will, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). Lord, thank You for the beautiful instructions from Your Word, and the privilege we have to be Your children, and to manifest our love for You and for one another!