Based on Romans 12:11-13 (New King James Version)
“not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.”
In today’s passage, God continues to give us more of His sound counsel through the Apostle Paul. Some of it is understandable (speaking in human terms), but some of it (if we are honest), is difficult to accept. As I have commented in the past, many of the concepts that God teaches requires people to unlearn what they have inside. In the majority of cases, especially when a person has come to God as an adult, they have to allow for the Holy Spirit to reprogram them somehow. In other words, the old man has to be left behind so that the new one can start working, day-by-day. If this doesn’t happen, a person will never be able to experience the abundant life God wants to give through His Son Jesus. The only way that a new beginning can start in a person’s life is by leaving behind the old, and by starting to apply God’s counsel, putting into practice what God teaches. So, let’s start seeing piece by piece what is understandable, and what is difficult to accept.
Diligence, or, leaving behind laziness (using a clearer term), is necessary for daily things, and of course, even more, for eternal and profound things. If a person does not dedicate themselves to spend time with the Lord, reading and studying His Word, praying, being busy with the things He teaches, how will they grow and develop spiritually? One of the biggest problems with God’s people today is the lack of Bible study. People are not looking for divine knowledge. And that within itself brings big problems. For it is written: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Hosea 4:6. During the time of the Apostles, the only copies of the Scriptures (the Old Testament was all they had) could be found in synagogues. Everything was either heard or memorized. It was a great privilege to have access to a copy of the Scriptures. Today, the Bible (the Old and New Testament combined) is still the most printed book in all of the world, with millions of copies circulating in dozens of different languages. You can gain access to the Bible on-line, through apps on smartphones (I personally have two versions in English and one in Spanish). You can listen to the Bible through these wonderful gadgets. Today, I heard the first ten chapters of the book of Exodus while I was working outside. And if there are so many resources where a person can read, listen, and study the Bible, why are they not taken advantage of? What’s the problem? Why are people not fervent? We are fervent for so many other things.
I think “rejoicing in hope” is understood, that despite any problem we may encounter while here in this world, we can always have the joy of our salvation, the hope of eternity (for those that have given their life to Christ), where there will be no more death, no more suffering, no more tears, or pain, etc. But, why do we become so easily troubled with situations in this life? There are times that very insignificant things can ruin our day, or at least, when we compare whatever the issue may be to the eternity God has for those that love Him. We should always have present how immense our salvation is, and that we are not alone, but rather, God is living in our hearts.
Now, referring to: patient in tribulation, I know that this is hard for us to understand. The Bible teaches that: “…We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22b. Tribulation goes far beyond our daily problems. It’s not about: my car broke down, I got a bad cold, or my son or daughter sprained an ankle playing sports, etc. Tribulation consists of things that are completely out of our control and out of the norm, and it affects many people; some things caused by earthly authorities, and others by natural disasters, or deadly diseases; and that it happens to everyone without any discrimination, to both believers and/or nonbelievers. The global persecution of Christians is an example of tribulation, where dozens of people are killed or tortured daily for their faith in Christ. Cancer is part of tribulation, where it occurs in millions of people with or without cause (or at least, the cause is unknown). World hunger, where millions of people are just waiting to die because they have no food or water, and there is nothing they can do to better their situation. Tribulation is necessary because it cleans us, it makes us stronger (at least, those that decide to continue forward, because many deny their faith due to tribulation). Tribulation purifies the universal body of the Church of God.
Together with tribulation, and daily problems, prayer is essential. We need to spend time praying, not just for help, but also, speaking to the Lord. In prayer, it is also included having a conversation with the Most High, praise, worship; everything that can be communicated verbally. Prayer is part of our communication with the Lord. If the Christian does not pray, then they are not communicating with God.
And finally: “…distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” The Gospel of God is not just about words, but more importantly, it’s about action. In conjunction with sharing the Truth of God with everyone, we need to help everyone as well; and prayer is not enough. If we only pray, and we don’t supply the needs of our brethren, especially if it is within our means, we are then wasting our time. According to the Word of God, faith without works is dead; it’s no good. And we all can and should help the believer, as well as the nonbeliever in their moment of need, just like Christ did, and like the Father does every day, because He makes it rain over the just and the unjust.
Look for God’s counsel daily because it is for your own good. Lord bless! John