Live Peaceably with All

Salem Bible Study
Teachings on Community
Romans 12:9-18 (The Message)
^9-10Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.  ^11-13Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
 ^14-16Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.
 ^17-19Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."

For Reflection:

"Love from the center of who you are..." requires that you know who you are.  What does it mean to be a child of God, an inheritor of the Kingdom, protected, loved, with no fear of death, or for that matter -- life?  Read these verses frequently until they become a mirror image of who you are.

Pray for the patience courage and understanding to know and trust in who you are in the family of God.  Pray for others to find who they are in the Shepard's fold.