Compassion

Bryce and Ella

Romans 12:9–21 ESV

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The only source of good in all of creation is God. The only force of evil in all of creation is rebellion against God.

Spiritual Gifts put into action! No matter the gift, we can all take v.12 and live it.

Rejoice in Hope

The joy we have as brand new believers is based on what has been done. What just happened. There is relief and thankfulness and the weight of sin lifted off and that is JOY.

But our rejoicing(or joy), when the seeds of faith are just sprouting, tends to get choked or parched or stolen. So our rejoicing must be in hope.

Keep in mind the hope we have isnt a wish. We’ve said this before. Our hope is a certainty. Theologian named Kasermann who says hope is confident reaching out for the eschatological future. What God has said about the future. Hope in who He sees we will be. In what He is preparing for us.

That is why Paul has told the church in Rome set their minds on things above. When we only, always seek our healing on this earth, in this life, we have taken our eyes off the eternal prize. The place where healing is everlasting and we are completely whole! It is why Peter talks of being born anew into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have HOPE! And that’s why

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest ‘frain but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.

Be Patient in Tribulation

This is the one no one wants to hear. We dont want to live expecting tribulation. Struggle. Trial. I’m guilty. I told you a couple weeks ago that I’d like to float from mountain top to mountain top without ever struggling in the valley. But that is not life. But can we take the red words that from the Gospels and ‘be of good cheer’? We know that in this world we will have trouble, He has overcome the world!

Do you reckon an ant could carry a straw? Not that he would, but that he could? Do you think if an ant who was carrying a straw came to a crack in the sidewalk that was too big for him to cross, he would realize he was carrying his way across the crack? Sometimes the burden we bear is exactly what we needed to navigate the obstacles we are headed toward.

One who stands at the beginning of an obstacle course is not surprised when he has to climb over or under things. Likewise the believer is not surprised when things do not go as planned. Affliction and tribulation is to be born patiently. Those are the times we said we would sit down in the valley of Baca and dig those wells, remember?

And the source of spiritual help in those times is prayer.

Be Constant in Prayer -

This is where we start in this life together. No man should be surprised when life collapses if he insists on living it alone.

Even if we are isolated at certain times in life, if we are constant in prayer, we are not alone.

Most Christians express the difficulty of maintaining a regular prayer life. There’s good reason for this. Choked. Parched. Stolen. SKaD. After all, if the enemy can keep us out of touch with God he knows we are much less effective against him.

Share with God’s people who are in need.

There are people all across the globe giving their lives to take the gospel where they now live. We call most of them missionaries. Some of the missionaries are reaching out to children who need to hear that Jesus loves them and who need the basic necessities of life.

Some of those children’s picture and story is neatly packaged for you in the foyer.

Invitation to sit and soak before going to the foyer.