For Reading and Meditation:      Romans 5:1-11We have come now to the seventh positive attitude that makes for good spiritual and mental health: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9). This Beatitude seems to have a special relevance to the age through which we are passing, for if there is one thing the world needs at this moment, it is peacemakers. Our generation has never known peace worldwide. One authority says: "During most of our recent history the air has been filled with rumblings of pending war until today, at the so-called peak of scientific enlightenment, the menace of a global conflict threatens our atomic age with suicide." The uncertainty caused by being on the brink of nuclear confrontation, despite the end of the cold war between the East and West, has taken its toll on people of all nations, spiritually and psychologically. Studies show that living in a generation which has the power to annihilate itself in global destruction has a crippling effect upon the minds of thousands, if not millions of people. There was never a time when peacemakers were as important as they are now. And more and more are standing up to be counted on the side of peace. The peace organisations report increasing memberships and their attempts to alert the world to the need for international treaties continues to gain the attention of every section of the media. Yet how strange that most of those who are so concerned for peace between nations fail to see the need for peace between themselves and their Creator. The solemn truth is that no man or woman can become a peacemaker - at least in the biblical sense of the word - until they have found peace within their innermost being. O my Father, help people to come to the realisation that before they can enjoy the peace of God, they must first enjoy peace with God. In Jesus' Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Romans 12:9-18</li><li>Romans 14:19</li><li>Proverbs 12:20</li><li>Mark 9:50</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What are we to do?</li><li>Are you a peacemaker?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (v. 1)

Romans 12:9-21Our love should be sincere, "without hypocrisy," as Paul says. A hypocrite is an actor. He pretends to be what he is not. We are not to live in this way - merely pretending to love people, speaking to them kindly words - while bitterness is in our heart. Our life must be as good as our speech, our heart as good as our profession.If our love is to be without hypocrisy, we must "Hate what is evil; and cling to what is good." God hates wickedness, hates everything that is sinful; if we would be like God - we must hate sin. It is not enough to love what is right and to cling to it. This is very important - but we must also abhor that which is evil. This does not mean that we are to hate wicked people, for we are taught to love all men. We are not to hate the people - but the wickedness, being ready meanwhile to show our love in kindness and helpfulness even to the worst and most degraded. God hates sin - but loves the sinner and yearns for his salvation, doing everything to bring him back to right ways. In these days of tolerance, we need to watch lest sometimes we be tolerant of things we ought to hate!But we must not let our hatred of evil interfere with out love for others. Paul urges that we, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love." Perhaps ofttimes we are too cold in our affection, at least in our showing of affection. There is something wonderfully beautiful in the way Jesus loved His disciples and friends. He loved them and he let them know that He loved them. He spoke to them of His tender interest in their life, and showed His interest, too, in many sweet and gentle ways. He commanded His friends to love one another as He had loved them. Not only should we love - but we should be tenderly affectioned.Especially in homes is there ofttimes a lack in the showing of affection. The family love each other - but their words and acts do not show it. We are too miserly with our loving words. We are to do more. We are to show our love by preferring one another. This is not easy. We like to claim the first place for ourselves. We do not like to sink ourselves out of sight when we have been doing something good and beautiful, quietly allowing some other one to get the credit and carry off the honor.It is in associated Christian work that this lesson has its special application. As long as we are clamoring for honor and recognition, we have not learned this part of Christian duty. If we only knew it, there is a wonderful comfort in caring only for the work, and not caring to have the praise of men for it.Another thing not easy we are asked to do: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." Indeed, none of these life lessons are easy. Possibly we may learn part of the lesson - not to be resentful, not to try to punish others for the hurt they do us. We say we will drop the matter and not think of it any more. But this is not all of the lesson. Not only are we not to curse - but we are to bless those who persecute us. We are not to return injury for injury, nor are we to return nothing; we are to pay the debt in full - but we must pay it with love instead of hate; instead of persecuting those who persecute us, we are to bless them.Then, we are to "rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep." The latter part of this counsel we hear about very often. It is quite natural and not very hard to weep with those who weep. We go to the house of mourning, and we feel very sorry for our friends in their trouble. But this is not all the lesson. Sometimes we are disposed to envy those who are prosperous or who have great blessing or joys; the teaching here is that we are to rejoice with these; we are to be glad, because they are glad and happy.Those who have the Spirit of Christ must "Live in harmony with one another." If two people are to live together happily, they must make up their minds that they both cannot have their own way all the time. One way to get along, is for one to do always just what he wants, while the other yields in everything, having no mind of his own, claiming no rights. This can scarcely be called the Christian way. It makes one a tyrant - and the other a slave. The way for people to live together, is for both to have the same mind, each to think of the other's comfort. Being of the same mind implies that there is no quarreling, no dissension. Both move together in unselfish love, seeking lowly things."Do not be proud - but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." Self-conceit is a miserable thing. Ruskin says, "Conceit may puff a man up - but never prop him up." Nobody admires self-conceit in another. Everyone thinks it is a most detestable disposition. We must think of ourselves, as we appear to others. We ought to know very well, that self-conceit makes us very unlovely in the eyes of others. Humility is the grace which adorns. God loves it and men love it.The truly humble Christian will "Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody." We represent God in this world. We have the interests of God's cause in our keeping. This makes it a very serious thing to profess to be a Christian, for people have a right to look to us - to see what God is like. Besides, God has a right then to look to us - for the true manifesting of His own character and will. It is very important, therefore, that in every disposition we show, in all our conduct, in all our business transactions, in all our social relations, in all our acts and words of influence, we shall show the things that are godlike and beautiful. We must be honorable as well as honest ."If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." In God's mind, peace is a part of beautiful living. It is not always possible to live in peace with people. There are some people who would quarrel with an angel. They are so selfish, so ill-tempered, so domineering, so unreasonable, that they can be at peace with no one. It may not be possible, therefore, even for the best Christian to move through the world, without having somebody hate him or strive with him. But the lesson is, that it must never be our fault if there is quarreling. So far as we are concerned, we must be at peace with all people. Abraham preserved peace with Lot by letting Lot have his own way. This is a good rule.

A unique type of devotional from the writings of James Russell Miller, published between 1908 and 1913.

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

Romans 12:9-21

Christian Living

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them… Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. (Romans 12:9,10 NLT)




"He loved them unto the uttermost." And 
I think in that statement, there is the most wonderful thing that ever came into 
this world. Jesus had had a lot of trouble with those men. They had often 
misunderstood Him. They had often disappointed Him. They were really a very poor 
lot of men.... He knew what a poor lot of men they were, but He loved them unto 
the uttermost. That is the first thing about this love. It is not offended by 
our failures. He does not withdraw His love because we make mistakes. We may 
often disappoint Him, we may often fail Him, we may often grieve His heart, but 
He goes on loving us. He loves us unto the uttermost, right to the end. He is 
not offended by our failures. That is a very different kind of love from our 
love. This is God's love in Christ....

You know, it is so easy to talk about love, to pretend to love, to use the 
language of love, to sing hymns about love, and it can all be sentimental; 
perhaps we all know people who have told us that they love us, but very often 
they are the very people who have hurt us most. Now, the love of Jesus was not 
sentimental, it was practical. He did not go in with His disciples and say, 
'Brothers, I do love you very much.' He showed that He loved them by what He did 
for them. It was not sentimental love, it was practical love. And this is the 
love with which He loved them unto the uttermost.... These things which 
characterize the love of Christ for His own ought to characterize us in love for 
others. That is why the Holy Spirit has come. So that as He loved us to the 
uttermost, so ought we to love one another.

This devotional contains short daily portions from a selection of Mr. Austin-Sparks' messages. In his own words, “Perhaps this is just like a window opened into heaven. If you get the right window you can see quite a lot. You can see great things and you can see far things. But the best that I can hope is that this has just opened a window, and that as you look through it you are seeing one thing - how superior is Jesus Christ to all else, and how superior is the dispensation into which we have come, and how superior are all the resources at our disposal to all that ever was before!” Open Windows messages have been selected and compiled by Austin-Sparks.Net from the works of T. Austin-Sparks. In some cases they appear in abridged form. The introductory verse and its associated Bible version have been selected by the editor and did not always appear within the original message.

Open Windows

"That They May All Be One, Even As We Are One" - Meeting 3

 He Loved them unto the Uttermost 

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. § Abhor what is evil. § Abstain from every form of evil. § [Look] carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. § Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. § Such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. § In Him there is no sin.

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Morning Daily Light

 Nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. 

<h3>Love in Action</h3> 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Romans 12:9

Love must be sincere.<cr>1</cr> Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.<cr>2</cr>

 9 Love must be sincere.   Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

 Love must be sincere.   Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  

Bible Verse of the Day

December 31, 1887

Romans 12:9 NIV

Verse by Verse Bible Study

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