9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance isMine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord. 20 Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”[b]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21
As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to be driven by love. We are called to be filled with the love of Jesus and have His love touch those we come into contact with. If we have the same attitude and mind of Christ everything the apostle Paul has exhorted us to do we will naturally do.
The question is how do have the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ is only established in our lives as we grow with the Lord. As we study God’s word and spend time in prayer, it is the Lord who transforms us from the inside out. Our behavior and the way we lives our lives is supernaturally transformed as our minds are transformed by the truth of God’s word.
It is impossible to live according to God’s word and the leading of the Holy Spirit without rightly understanding truth. If I fail to understand the depths of God’s love and grace for me then I may believe my standing before the Lord is based upon my behavior and not based upon the finished work of Christ. But when I rightly understand God’s word my life naturally aligns with God’s will and His kingdom.
To understand God’s word we must spend every day consuming God’s word and meditating upon His word. As we spend time alone with the Lord the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us into all truth. Jesus told the disciples to make disciples of all nations and not merely converts. Where many fail today in the body of Christ is that they have merely become converts and have not taking up the life of becoming a disciple.
A disciple is someone who walks closely with the master and in time becomes exactly like the master. As they grow they then are able to disciple others to become like the master. Understanding the deep truths of God’s word does not happen quickly, it happens over a lifetime of study. As we study God’s word and meditate upon His truth our lives are transformed. We simply need to be committed to making the study of God’s word and drawing near to Him the priority of our lives. When this happens we have moved from simply being a convert to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
The Father's Heart 