February 5th

The part of today's reading that got my attention was " leave room for God’s wrath". I remember reading in Nehemiah about his praying to God not to forget those who had persecuted him. To say that I forgive you but want God to remember, is, well... Perhaps real forgiveness would be to humanly forgive and ask that God forgive also. This is something I rarely think of when it comes to this topic. I have heard numerous sermons on this topic but it's the usual "forgive & forget" type of thing. I can't recall, at least not in recent memory, hearing about praying for the offenders forgiveness by God. Something for me to think about...

March 22, 1992 (the date is written in the margin of my bible) Pastor Roger gave one of my favorite sermons. It was on this passage. He related each of the instructions given here as to how you should treat your spouse. It's great to read over again and think of your marriage. (I have great fading notes in my margin if you want them.)

The passage begins with love and Roger reminded us that it's referring to Biblical love not cultural love. Cultural love being love that is for ones own pleasure and Biblical love being love that is committed to another's good and not my own pleasure. Reading this passage again with that type of love in mind from the beginning help me to see how the instruction given in this passage is possible to show to others but still difficult and not what I always want to do. So I guess when it's difficult I first need to examine my heart and see where I stand on biblically loving that person. HARD!

I had never caught the "leave room for God's wrath," interesting...

The following is from a little pamphlet I have that refers to Romans 12:14-21:
"...But Christian living requires more than theory; it demands attention to duty as well, the daily outworking of applied doctrine. To Paul, what you believe and how you behave are inseparable. Doctrine dictates that love control a believer's conduct both in and outside the church."
I am a small group leader in a 4th grade Bible Study and they are teaching about love and that love, real agape love is a choice/action. When I look a Romans 12:14 I see love choices.