Page 85 - Romans Student Textbook.doc

Genuine love shows up in daily words and deeds that seem incredibly mundane while at the same time
they are profoundly significant to those to whom they are directed. It is advanced by creatively
overcoming evil with good as we place the meeting of the needs of the people around us in higher priority
than the meeting of our own needs.

Theology for Living Now

The most reasonable act that a person can do when they are confronted with the reality of the
display of God’s love in the salvation that He has provided for us in and through the work of His
Son Jesus is give themselves to serve the enactment of God’s will in this world. That act of faith reorders
our thinking so that we are made able to think like God thinks about everything in His creation and to love
like God loves.

When we watch our words when others won’t; when we show we care when other don’t; when we
discipline our thinking while others fight; when we trust our God to defend us while others justify
themselves and their actions; when we share “our stuff” when others hoard; we show a watching world
the power that God has to change a heart and they get a glimpse through the brokenness of our lives of
the genuine love of God.

The commands listed in this chapter direct us in the adventure of developing into faithful servants of God
who are made able to show His genuine love — His unhypocritical love — in the way that we live. The
reality is that God has chosen us — broken, often-confused, not-so-very-smart people — to be the tools
by which He delivers His message about His genuine love to the world in which we live. Once we know the
wonder of God’s salvation, we are duty bound to show the wonder of His salvation in both our words and
our deeds.

Be Not Conformed to this World.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUzyrv0EkhQ

13.5 Let’s Practice…

1. In this chapter, one thing is obviously God’s will for all our lives. What is it?

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