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A Prayer for Living Out our Love for One Another
When I read Romans 12:9-21, I sigh and long for a world in which this text is lived out. These practical, specific instructions of how to live love involve a conscious commitment to put others before ourselves.
Today, I invite you into my own prayer, based on this text.
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Heavenly Father, may I be so filled with your love that my life is an outpouring of that love. Help me to hate what you hate and long for your goodness—not whatever I think might be good.
10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
My sisterly affection sometimes does not extend beyond those I am comfortable loving. Help me to celebrate and honor the beauty that You see in others.
11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
The world is turned a bit upside down right now and the ways in which I have enjoyed fervently serving in the past have been stripped away. May the zealous, fervent fire of Your Spirit continue to burn in me, leading me to serve You and serve others in different, but awesome ways. No act of service is too small, and it is not a competition. Help me remember that.
12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Hope. What a word! Hope is transformative. Hope is uplifting. Hope keeps us going when the trials and tribulations seem never-ending. Help me to be a beacon of hope that points others to You, the ultimate source of hope. May I remember that you offer Light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for the reminder that when I am constant in prayer, I continue to see hope.
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Hospitality, Lord? How do I show hospitality during a pandemic? Your Son embodied hospitality though He never had a home in which to invite others. He went where the people were and met their needs. Help me to see others’ needs with Your eyes and seek out ways to continue to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Believe it or not, not everyone likes me. Not everyone agrees with my opinion. But is that the extent of the persecution I am feeling right now, Lord? It’s humbling to realize that there are those that face true, brutal persecution, even within their own families. May you pour out such blessings on those individuals that they are led to repentance from their persecution.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
And when there is repentance, may I rejoice instead of falling into the trap of the older brother of Your prodigal son (Luke 15). May I be willing to get uncomfortable and weep alongside those who are broken and weeping. And then, when you bring us back to a place of rejoicing, may the party be such that others long to join in the celebration!
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Harmony comes through unity in You. It does not depend on me, nor my way of doing things. My view of the problem, and even my view of the solution, may not be the best. God, You’ve got this. Help me to listen to Your wisdom and to hear the voice and perspective of others.
17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
Are my actions and intentions honorable?
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Am I doing what I can, when and how I can? Or am I only making a minimal effort?
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.”
Thank You for being our Avenger, Defender, Redeemer, Comforter... Please help me trust You and Your timing.
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.”
Who is my enemy, Lord? And how can I serve him?
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Father God, You are good. May I cling to You and Your goodness. In You and through You, evil has already been overcome through the sacrifice of Your Son. It is in His name that I lift up these prayers in humble thanksgiving for sharing with us these words through the apostle Paul.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
We Are Part of The One-Anotherness: Love God/Love Others
Written by: Deanna Brooks, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Searcy, AR.
Friendship. Fellowship. Togetherness. Caring. Our Creator made us for relationships, and in the past few months, because of COVID-19, most of us have realized how precious our time is with “one another.”
Our times of being together for worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ went to online events. Many of us had to postpone family gatherings and celebrations, and we missed “one another.”
“One another”... ἀλλήλων (ah LAY loan) is two words in English, but it is only one word in Greek. I like that thought.
ἀλλήλων is used 100 times in 94 New Testament passages. Forty-seven give instructions to Christians.
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He responded, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39.)
Jesus response was from the Shema, a passage every Jewish child learned early in life (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
From the “one-another” passages, we learn how to love our neighbor as ourselves:
Be at peace.
Don’t grumble.
Be of the same mind.
Gently and patiently tolerate.
Be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving.
Seek good.
Confess sins.
Love.
Serve.
Be devoted.
Give preference.
Be in submission.
Speak truth.
Comfort.
Encourage.
Stimulate to love and good deeds.
Pray.
Be hospitable.
We sing “Bind us together LORD...with cords that cannot be broken.” King Solomon wrote, “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl. 4:12).
Jesus told His followers: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
First John 4:20 tells us how important it is to love one another: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” These are powerful words, just as relevant to our lives today as they were 2000 years ago when John wrote them.
Jesus prayed for unity in John 17:11: “...they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” This prayer was not just for those disciples with Jesus at that moment; later, in verses 20-21, He prays: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if we put “one-another” into everyday practice in our lives?
