“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.” (Romans 12:14-16)
Continuing on in the same vein of presenting the gospel in a concise way, Paul echoes the words of Jesus from Luke 6:27-28. Jesus said to love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. He continued on by telling his listeners to bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. In light of how some folks treat others today, that can be a tall order, but as we draw closer to God His Holy Spirit will enable us as we surrender our will. We must have the “want to” though. The unity we are to have with our brothers and sisters in Christ is to be evident in our empathy for them in joy and deep sorrow. Our unity, just like our faith, is to be genuine and not just for show. We are to be as one unit, loving, assisting and being patient one with another. We are to be void of any conceit or pride in our position in this life. Conceit breeds contempt for others of a lower stature and according to scripture we’re to be willing to associate with those among us who are of low position.
Proverbs 3:7 tells us “Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.” Our wisdom is so minute compared to the wisdom of our Heavenly Father, that to lord it over anyone is a joke. Humbleness and humility are to be the order of the day for the Christian. There is nothing about us that should give us cause to be prideful. Anything we are and anything we happen to achieve is orchestrated by the Lord and not our own doing. It behooves us to give credit where credit is due and not puff out our chest as if we’ve actually accomplished anything of any significance. Our greatest accomplishments in this life pale in comparison to the smallest of God’s accomplishments.
To think of oneself as better than another is foolhardy and only gives one a false sense of superiority. Even the wealthiest, most powerful person on earth is nothing compared to Almighty God. Those who deny Christ preen and thrust out their feathers as proud peacocks, displaying themselves for all the world to see, but it only appears as arrogance to those around them. We are to understand that we are nothing without God. Then and only then will be begin to develop the appropriate characteristics that are exemplary of our Lord.
WALK WITH THE LORD TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!
