Title: The Christian Checklist; Do You Measure Up?
Scripture: Romans 12:10-21
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
13 Share with God’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 everybody.
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
19 Do not take revenge, my 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.
A couple of years ago, I visited one of those famous bookstore chains, looking for some idle reading material. My father was in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) at a nearby hospital and the waiting was going to stretch into several days or even weeks. So, I went in search of a collection of material with which to fill my time.
I walked into this bookstore that is, by comparison, about 10 times bigger than our church sanctuary. There were books everywhere. I was overwhelmed by the rows and rows of books, CD’s, and games! But, what interested me more was the number of books they had to help people improve themselves in various areas. Those ever popular so-called “How to” books, or what some may call ‘self-improvement.’
They had books to help you get in tune with your emotions. They had books to control your anger, books to improve your marriage or your single life, books on how to raise children, books on how to eat right, books on how to lose weight, books on how to sew, how to knit, how to fix cars, and the list went on and on and on.
They also had a very large “Christian books” area where I was able to obtain enough material to last a month of waiting. I bought the books and returned to the hospital. But, you know, since that day the large number of books devoted to people’s problems continues to stick in my mind. And, not only that, but some of the titles of the books really stuck in my mind.
I recently visited a well-known book retailer on the internet. As a whim, I thought I would prepare searches that started with a number and followed by “Easy Steps.” I was amazed at the number of books and video material available that has “Easy steps” in their titles. You know, 12 easy steps to cut hair or 11 easy steps to great looking toes. Well, here’s some real titles that were based on those searches and taken at random (I edited some to make them shorter):
10 Easy Steps to a Higher SAT Score
How To Play Popular Piano In 10 Easy Lessons
How to Stop Smoking in 9 Easy Steps
Making Divorce Work : In 9 Easy Steps
8 Easy Steps to Coach Yourself to Success
Total Health and Beauty in 8 Easy Steps
Road to Riches Through Real Estate in 7 Easy Steps
Teach your child to read in 6 easy steps
Become an Expert Car Buyer in 5 Easy Steps
5 Easy Steps to Psychic Self Defense
In almost any bookstore, mall or large store that sells books, videos, and DVD’s, there is always a large section on ‘self-improvement.’
Well, I brought a book along today, that wasn’t found in that section of the bookstore. I brought along a book today that has been on the best-seller list many times. I brought along a book today that has been the number one source of enrichment, encouragement, and self-improvement: THE BIBLE.
The Bible has within its covers the simple ways and means to aid in the growth of any Spirit-led, born-again individual. And, in today’s verses we see just that. In today’s verses we see a ‘Christian Checklist’ that asks each one of us the very simple question, Do We Measure Up?
Verse 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Being devoted to one another has lot’s of implications, the greatest of them all being, of course, love. When we are think about or talking about one another, or doing something for others, this phrase, “Being devoted to another and honoring another” should be the ‘filter’ which all of our speech and action has to pass through. If it is the filter, then it can take out those rumors, it can sift out those wrong thoughts, it can block those selfish actions.
Devotion implies many things:
Care, Support, Attentiveness, Dedication, Loyalty, Fidelity, and Devoutness. Do we practice this call to devotion that Paul has put before us?
Verse 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Here’s a portion of the checklist that is a must have. And, it will always be there if we are getting into the Word, fellowshipping with the Lord and fellowshipping with one another. It’s not a difficult thing to have spiritual fervor or passion for the Lord, if you are maintaining a close relationship with HIM.
Let’s look at that word: fervor. When you are devoted to a cause or to a movement, you will have a passion or enthusiasm that is visible, or readily apparent to those around you. That passion, that zeal is highly contagious. Your enthusiastic actions could be the ignition source, the spark, so to speak, for other’s passion in the Lord’s cause in the church or community. Likewise, your inaction or lack of zeal, or even your continued complaining could quench others. You could be the wet blanket that puts out the fire in someone else.
Paul tells us, keep your spiritual fervor.
Don’t rain on my parade in the Lord!
Don’t rain on my picnic in the Lord!
Don’t put your wet blanket over my fire in the Lord!
Because I want to keep my spiritual fervor in the Lord!
Similarly, in verse 12, we see:
Verse 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Though these three are natural manifestations of the love for God, which comes from God [we love, because He first loved us]. They still require our personal attention, or presence of mind to exercise and develop. It’s very simple to become a Christian and love God. And, it is simple to let these three manifest themselves through that love. But, the key word is let. If we are not willing to let God work in us and through us, we can very easily lose our joy in the Spirit, we could very easily become impatient, we could very easily reduce our time spent in prayer. We could very easily miss out on many of God’s benefits because of our own decision of not to get close to the Lord, and, in verses 13-16, not getting close with others.
Verse 13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Verse 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Verse 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Verse 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.
These are things that require a two-part closeness. The first part requires that we get close to God, and the second, is that we allow God to work in us and through us to His glory, and to the benefit of others.
Share, practice hospitality, bless, rejoice, mourn, live in harmony. Paul tells us 1 Corinthians 9:22-23
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
How else can you share with someone in need unless you know their situation. How else can you rejoice or mourn with someone unless you know what is happening. These checklist items require a closeness to which only God can minister. Because if you do it on your own, then people will think you are invading their lives. Don’t be proud, let God work the situation and the relationship, and you, like Paul can become all things to all people so that by all possible means you might save some…
Verse 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
Verse 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Verse 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
Verse 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."
Sometimes, when you are standing outside in a wide open space you can see the rain coming toward you on the horizon. You can see it coming slowly toward you. Sometimes it speeds up, sometimes it slows, but it continues on its way. You don’t know how long it will take to get to you, but you can see it and you know it will rain very soon.
To me, the end of the world is like that rain. I can’t tell you when it will happen, but I can definitely see it coming from where I am standing.
I see it speed up, I see it slow down, but it doesn’t stop. And, sooner or later it will overtake this world and it will all be over.
That’s why we need to live at peace with everyone. Again, in order to win a few to the Lord, certain requirements must be met, and this is one of them. You can’t threaten someone, “if you don’t become a Christian I’m gonna hit you with this bat!” It doesn’t work that way.
Just know and relax in the fact that the LORD will take care of the situation. Just know and relax in the fact that the LORD will handle that person that has wronged you sooner or later. Instead, pay it back with kindness, it says. In doing that, you heap burning coals on his or her head. Which means that you are shaming someone into realizing that what they did was wrong. Revenge is best left up to the Lord.
Verse 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
You can tell that I love doing word searches and comparisons. This word, overcome, is just such a word.
The verse says, do not be overcome by evil. Don’t be defeated by evil. Don’t let evil get the best of you. Don’t let evil conquer you. Believe me, there are lots of ways that it can.
Television is a excellent way for evil to defeat you. With today’s programming, it’s better to just leave the TV off. Even the news has fallen victim to showing questionable material. The programming and advertisements are all geared to do one thing, to entice you, to tempt you, to lure you, to charm you into watching their program.
Wholesome and good family shows are not selling anymore. No one wants to watch a show about a small boy and his dog doing good things in the community [Lassie]. No one wants to watch a comedy show about a man that’s given up his high position as a lawyer in the city to pursue farming [Green Acres]. People think it’s boring to watch a show about a family scraping by in the 1920’s and 30’s while dealing with life’s everyday issues [The Waltons].
Why are they no shows similar to those? Because those programs showcased people who were overcoming evil with good. Those shows were inspiring people to conquer the evil in their lives with good, wholesome words and actions, and Satan doesn’t want any part of them.
Instead they have been pushed out by shows where the actors play the parts of selfish, greedy, sex-crazed people that want to either overcome evil with evil, or overcome the good with evil. The opposite of what the Bible teaches.
Conclusion:
It is difficult in a world that thrives on selfishness to be self-sacrificial.
It is difficult in a world that thrives on pain, to be patient.
It is difficult in a world that thrives on inconsideration, to be considerate.
It is difficult in a world that thrives on bad news, to be joyful.
Yet, at the same time, spending an abnormal amount of time dwelling on these things rather than leaving them up to the Lord, could produce an unhealthy spirit within us. We could become spiritually ill, which could also affect our own physical health.
If we let the world have its own way, we could reach a place where we think that we can’t do anything, therefore we don’t do anything. We could reach a point of all talk or thought, and no action. We could reach a point of all discussion about what we can do in the Lord, while not doing anything in the Lord at all.
There are sayings regarding this, that I’ve changed slightly:
Better to do something and be wrong, than to do nothing and be nothing.
Better to be a person of action, than a person of inaction.
Make a checklist for yourself out of these verses. Make a checklist and keep it on your mirror or in our wallet, or someplace, where you can see it often. Because these words mean nothing if there are no actions.
