Walking With Christ

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• Rom 12:8a . . If your gift is to encourage others, then do so.

Developing children benefit from encouragement in a big way. Thoughtless
grown-ups can destroy a young child's fragile spirit by criticizing them all the
time and never once giving them an "attaboy" or a single vote of confidence.

A fitting word spoken at just the right moment can really beef up
somebody's resolve to meet life head on. If you're good at that sort of thing,
then watch for opportunities among your fellow Christians to do so. It has to
be honest though because leaving people with a false impression of
themselves is all the same as treachery, and sets them up for
disappointment.

"Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet." (Prov 29:5)
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• Rom 12:8b . . If you have money, share it generously.

Generously is quite the opposite of sparingly.

Jesus once compared a widow's contributions to those of the wealthy. The
small amount she gave counted more than the larger amounts contributed
by the wealthy because her donation pretty much cleaned her out; while the
wealthy's contributions scarcely made a dent in their prosperity. (Mark
12:41-44)

I don't think Rom 12:8b is commanding Christ's followers to ruin
themselves, rather, to avoid being miserly.

“Christmas is a poor excuse every 25th of December to pick a man's
pockets.” (Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens)

Ol' Scrooge is known the world over as the king of tightwads. He's an
extreme example, to be sure; most people aren't that grasping, but I think
quite a few are maybe a bit too frugal.
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• Rom 12:8c . . If God has given you leadership ability, take the
responsibility seriously.

A natural aptitude for church management doesn't count. It has to be God
given; that is: a legitimate Spirit-endowed ability. (cf. Rom 12:3-8, 1Cor
12:4-11, 1Cor 12:27-30)

There are far too many people sitting on church boards merely because
they're a success in business. Well; if your church is a commercial
enterprise; then maybe you should think about finding another one.

God-given leadership ability is spoken of as a "responsibility". In other
words; it should never be taken as an achievement. I just hate it when City,
State, and Federal government officials celebrate their positions as
something they "won".

"The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: He that ruleth over
men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." (2Sam 23:3)

Too many of the men and women in power do not rule in the fear of God;
rather, they rule in the fear of politics; and rather than morally upright with
their fellow man's best interests at heart, they are often Machiavellian
instead.
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• Rom 12:8d . . If you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it
gladly.

This particular gift relates to sympathy and compassion; which are emotions,
i.e. feelings.

Well; the problem is: we have very little, if any, control over those kinds of
feelings; and I think we too often resent people for touching our soft spot
and tugging at our heart strings, a.k.a. pushing our buttons.

The ability to show kindness is referred to as a gift. I think most folks, given
the option, would prefer the gift of tongues over the gift of kindness because
the one is merely a skill whereas the other makes us sensitive to need;
which at times can be both uncomfortable and inconvenient.

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no
pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" (1John 3:17)
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• Rom 12:9a . . Don't just pretend that you love others.

The Greek word translated "love" is derived from agape (ag-ah'-pay) which
primarily refers to benevolence rather than affection.

Benevolence is defined as acts of kindness and/or generous gifts.

Pretense is defined as fiction, make-believe, and/or simulation.

Anyway, talk is cheap and, like it's said: Put your money where your mouth
is, i.e. if you sincerely believe that benevolence is a Christian virtue, then practice
it for real rather than merely giving others the impression that you do.
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• Rom 12:9b . . Hate what is evil.

Hating evil is second nature to God-fearing people; or at least it should be.

"You who love The Lord: hate evil." (Ps 97:10)

"In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was
blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." (Job 1:1)

"The fear of The Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way,
and the perverted mouth, I hate." (Prov 8:13)

I think it's fair to say that when somebody hates the same things that God
hates, and loves the same things that God loves; the two of them have the
makings of a rapport: defined by Webster's as a friendly, harmonious
relationship-- especially a relationship characterized by agreement, mutual
understanding, or empathy that makes communication possible and/or easy.
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• Rom 12:9c . . Cling to what is good.

The Greek word translated "cling" speaks of adherence; and it's pretty much
the same meaning as the Hebrew word in Gen 2:24 relative to a man and
his wife.

The word is appropriate in a variety of applications, e.g. join, keep company,
team up, depend upon, stick to, stick with, bond, unify, become one with,
band together, follow, etc.
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• Rom 12:10a . . Love each other with genuine affection

The Greek word translated "love" is derived from philadelphia (fil-ad-el-fee'
ah) which refers to fraternal feelings; it goes beyond things like courtesy,
kindness, consideration, and charity, etc. Those things exhibit civility,
which is a non affectionate love; in other words: being nice to people
without necessarily liking them.

Rom 12:10a is not an easy command to obey because it requires the
emotions of fondness and affection; loyalty included, i.e. actually liking your
fellow Christians as opposed to only being nice to them.

Real affection is easy to imitate, but not so easy to duplicate. Going through
the motions is just not the same as feeling the feelings.

There are people in this world who, by nature, are affection-challenged.
They can't even feel anything for their own children, let alone other people.
For them, parenting is a nightmare rather than a dream come true. Their
children are a burden rather than a blessing. Children ruin those parents'
lives instead of brightening them up and making their lives more worth the
living.

However, affection-challenged people aren't damaged beyond repair because
Christianity isn't entirely a do-it-yourself religion; it's also a supernatural
religion; viz; part of the plan of salvation is regeneration.

"If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who
raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
His spirit, who lives in you." (Rom 8:11)

"Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed
day by day." (2Cor 4:16)

A heads up to affection-challenged people: Love is inconvenient. It will make
you a better human being, but it will also make you pretty uncomfortable at
times too because love gets into your gut and makes you emotional,
sensitive, compassionate, and sympathetic.
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• Rom 12:10b . . Honor others over yourselves.

Christians infected with narcissistic personality disorder will find that rule
difficult, if not impossible, to obey. It's a mental condition characterized by a
grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration,
exploitive behavior in relationships, and a lack of empathy.

Narcissistic people are by nature insufferably arrogant, self-absorbed,
indifferent, and insensitive. They see nothing wrong with their behavior, nor
are they attuned to its impact on others. Were you to confront narcissistic
folk with your concerns about their attitude; be prepared for a counterattack
because they'll no doubt become indignant and defensive; possibly accusing
you of selfishness, jealousy, overreaction, hysteria, and unloving behavior.
You see; they're never the problem: you are.

As I was watching a recent series on the National Geographic channel about
geniuses; it became readily apparent to me that people in the genius
category crave recognition. Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso are two very
good examples. Their contributions to art and science were secondary to
their ambitions for greatness. I wouldn't say that all geniuses are like that of
course, but apparently the desire for greatness is not uncommon among the
gifted genre.

I should think that most alpha achievers would have trouble complying Rom
12:10b too. I mean. why be a winner if not to feel superior to everyone
else? The alpha achiever's motto is: It's not enough to succeed: everyone
else must fail.

Feelings of value are important to everyone's sense of well being, but the
alpha achiever feels only himself to be of any real value; in his mind's eye,
those "below" him are of little worth, i.e. expendable and/or a dime a dozen.
(cf. Est 6:6, Matt 27:26, Mark 12:38 39, and 3John 1:9)
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• Rom 12:11a . . Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit

The Greek word for "slothful" is okneros (ok-nay-ros') which, according to its
use in Matt 25:26-27, indicates failure to honor one's fiduciary
responsibilities.

In other words: when people have put their trust in you, in whatever
capacity or circumstance: do not disappoint them, nor (God forbid) make
lame excuses for failing to deliver on your commitments.

"fervent in spirit" sort of means on fire-- i.e. stubborn determination --which
is just the opposite of half-hearted, lukewarm, and/or procrastinating.
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[shittim]

Just found your thread, and am enjoying it greatly, thank you friend!

 

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Just found your thread, and am enjoying it greatly, thank you friend!

Thanks; and let's hope I keep you interested enough to follow my blog to
its completion; which takes somewhere around fifteen months from
beginning to end.
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• Rom 12:12a . . Be glad for all God is planning for you.

Christians unsure of their afterlife destination cannot, in all honesty and a
good conscience, comply with the above. For all they know, God has outer
darkness planned for them. That's not something to be glad about.

There are obvious benefits to our association with God; most especially
resurrection to immortality, i.e. a superior body and perpetual youth. But
those aren't the end-all.

Humanity was given the blessing of fertility specifically for the purpose of
populating the earth and subduing it. Well; the angels' purpose and way of
life is very different. They're an organization of celestial beings engaged in a
variety of capacities other than populating, conquering, and/or colonizing.

Folks who make the cut won't be returning to their familiar way of life,
pairing up with spouses like before (Matt 22:30). Instead, they too, like the
angels, will be organized to engage in a variety of capacities other than
populating, conquering, and/or colonizing; and they will be kept very busy
getting things done in accord with God's expectations in a new and improved
cosmos.

"It is not to angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we
are speaking." (Heb 2:5)

NOTE: It's tragic that Carl Sagan went to his grave with so many scientific
questions about the cosmos unanswered, and to top it off, a day is coming
when even Carl's pale blue dot will no longer be available for study.

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away." (Rev 21:1)

Can you imagine how delighted Carl would've been to explore Heaven's
libraries where everything to know that can be known about the cosmos is
stored? But alas, Carl will never find out; he was at best agnostic, at worst
an atheist.
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• Rom 12:12b . . Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful.

Patience in trouble requires a hang-in-there, tough-it-out attitude; i.e.
perseverance, which can be defined as continued effort to do, or achieve,
something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.

I've heard of people giving up on religion due to adverse circumstances
which they felt were undeserving. But life goes on whether one is pious or
not.

"Adversity that comes into your life is no different from what others
experience." (1Cor 10:13)

"Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward." (Job 5:7)

I guess some people figure that life should be a bed of roses for Christians;
but alas, such is not the case.

"To be, or not to be, that is the question: whether 'tis nobler in the mind to
suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a
sea of troubles, and by opposing end them: to die, to sleep no more; and by
a sleep, to say we end the heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks that
flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished." (Hamlet. Act
III, Scene I)

Wishing one's self dead in order to escape troubles doesn't comply with
patience; and wishing one's self was never born is futile.

"Why didn't I die at birth as I came from the womb? Why did my mother let
me live? Why did she nurse me at her breasts? For if I had died at birth, I
would be at peace now, asleep and at rest." (Job 3:11-13)

A Christian buddy of mine died in his mid forties. Sometimes I envy his
untimely death because he doesn't have to go through old age like I'm
doing. I've had lots of troubles in my lifetime: the sudden passing of my
favorite nephew, betrayed by people I thought were BFFs, dumped by girl
friends, financial reversal, appendicitis, thyroid failure, total knee
replacements, cataract surgery, loss of kidney function, loss of teeth, lay
offs, etc. None of those misfortunes have been as destructive to my peace of
mind as the aging process.

Fortunately I'm neither demented nor suffering from onset Alzheimer's, but
nevertheless, I'm disintegrating-- wasting away little by little and day by day
--and there's no remedy. The aging process is like Arnold Swarzenegger's
relentless movie character; the Terminator, of whom it is said: feels neither
pain nor pity, nor remorse nor fear; it cannot be reasoned with nor can it be
bargained with, and it absolutely will not stop-- ever --until you are dead.

I don't really mind getting old, nor mind dying: what I do mind is falling
apart along the way. But others have fallen apart before me, others are
falling apart along with me, and others will fall apart after me. My own
personal Terminator is nothing new or unusual; so I'm riding it out like
people in hurricane zones ride out the storms that come their way year after
year. I don't know if anyone ever gets comfortable with the aging process;
but at least they can take comfort in knowing we only have to go through it
once, and never again.
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• Rom 12:13a . . Share with God's people who are in need.

The Jews are God's people in accordance with an unconditional covenant
that He made with Abraham. (Gen 17:7-8)

NOTE: Nazi Germany was very nearly 99% Christian. Had they all complied
with Rom 12:13a, the effects of the Holocaust would've no doubt been
greatly reduced.
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[shittim]

Do you welcome discussion or comment on your thread?

 

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Do you welcome discussion or comment on your thread?

Comments, remarks, dissent, alternative interpretations, reactions,
corrections, suggestions, discoveries, alarm, warnings, and/or realizations
etc. are all A-OK, but please; no discussion. This isn't a forum, it's a blog.
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• Rom 12:13b . . Practice hospitality.

Webster's defines hospitable as:

1» given to generous and cordial reception of guests

2» promising or suggesting generous and cordial welcome

3» offering a pleasant or sustaining environment.

In other words; a hospitable person is civil, courteous, thoughtful, easy on
one's nerves, helpful, non threatening, non confrontational, non militant,
non reactive, non defensive, approachable, accommodating, and relaxing to
be with.
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• Rom 12:14 . . Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

The Greek word for "persecute" basically means to pursue; i.e. to hound. In
other words; a persecuting personality is one whose mission in life is to ruin
somebody's day at every opportunity.

Bless is from the Greek word eulogeo (yoo-log-eh'-o) which basically means
to invoke a benediction, e.g.

"Good Morning."

"Live long and prosper."

"Have a nice day."

"Good luck!"

"Bon Voyage!"

"Buen camino."

"Happy Birthday."

Cursing in this instance would amount to vocally, intentionally, and within
the hearing of others; wishing something terrible would happen to certain
disagreeable folk.
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• Rom 12:15 . .When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad,
share their sorrow.

A number of factors play a role in the making of an insensitive clod; one of
which is defective areas of the brain called amygdalae. In brief, the
amygdalae control, to a large extent, our emotions; i.e. our feelings.

Normal amygdalae make it possible to commiserate; which can be roughly
defined as feeling sympathy and/or compassion as opposed to just going
thru the motions. For example: I heard somewhere that half of us go to
funerals to honor folk we couldn't be bothered with when they were alive
and then lie through our teeth when we tell the family "I'm sorry for your
loss."

Defective amygdalae are usually a genetic problem; i.e. people with them
were born that way. So, they are going to have a pretty difficult time of it
when it comes to sharing in the happiness and/or the sorrow of others.

"Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?" (Jer 13:23)

The answer to both those questions is of course NO; and like they say: you
can't get blood out of a turnip. So then, is it reasonable to expect sympathy
challenged Christians to share the happiness of happy people and/or the
sorrows of sad people? Well; it isn't reasonable, but neither is it hopeless
seeing as how there's a supernatural remedy for personality disorders. (cf.
Ezek 36:26)
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