Sincere Love = Hating Evil, Clinging to Good.

Reading through Romans is always convicting...to say the least. Maybe its because we are so much like the Roman people. We went through the epistle of Romans for Friday Youth Fellowship last year. It was deep. It was rich. It was GOOD. But I wish I could do it again...I feel as if each time I go through Romans, I learn something new and/or change my old perspective. Romans is a profound exposition of the Gospel and packs a big punch of theology. I'm reading through chapter 12 of Romans today which focuses on offering our lives as living sacrifices to God and overcoming evil with good. Both of these can only be accomplished with what I would call "Sincere Love". Romans 12:9-18 says:

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

And sincere love...is much easier much much easier to say than to do. First off, sincere love must HATE what is evil. I don't even have to look at anyone else but myself to recognized that I don't hate evil as much as I should... Many times, I've caught myself speaking evil, watching evil, putting up with evil, even doing evil. And when I look into our society/culture today...its just as bad if not worse. We purchase more than we should (which is evil), we obsess over fame and money (which is evil), we ignore the homeless and poor (which is evil), and we only care about our own pleasure (which is evil).

So just how do we hate what is evil? Well, I think its important to recognize that this sentence is tied together with the ";"...Which means hating what is evil correlates with clinging to what is good. In order to hate evil, we must KNOW and FOLLOW what is GOOD. So what is good? Or maybe that's the wrong question, who is good? What model can we follow for pursuing the good, the true, and the beautiful? Well, that my friends, only comes from God. A few verses earlier in chapter 12, Paul writes "brothers...will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing, and perfect will."

Whether we acknowledge it or not...God wants the best for us. Sometimes, what's best for us is not what we want! Actually, I would be safe in saying "most of the time" we don't know what is best for us! So my friends, I encourage you today not to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Till next time, I hope we will all practice sincere love!