Clinging to What is Good

​Mike’s Meanderings ~ May 2021
As I sit here trying to decide what to write my mind wanders, meanders if you will. There is so much happening around us. So, as I meander through my thoughts, I ask myself, “Self, what can I say to encourage others?” I often put a burden on myself that really isn’t there. God made it clear to me that I need to stop trying to say the right thing or do the right thing and just listen to Him. As I opened my Bible this morning I read from the book of Romans and God spoke to me. Listen to what He said to me through the words of Paul.
Romans 12:9-13:
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;]give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
I had to stop and read this passage over and over. I read past it and tried to lose my focus multiple times as God was speaking to me.
A couple words kept screaming at me. Here they are: cling, honor, fervent (Laurie’s favorite word), persevering and practicing.
When we look at the world around us and then try to focus on God it is often difficult. So, when I read this passage, I kept wanting to write what you guys need to do from Paul’s writing, but God kept saying, “this is for you Mike!”
Back to those words!
Cling, cling to what is good! God is good and I must cling to Him and abhor what is evil.
Honor, honor God of course but here Paul is telling me to give honor to others, thinking of other peoples needs before my own.
Fervent, fervent in spirit, I must diligently serve the Lord with all that I am.
Persevering, I will have struggles and God will be with me so I must persevere through them and stop whining about them all the time and let God lead me through them and not wallow in them!
Practicing, I must actually do what God tells me to do. It’s great that I read the Bible and study to get to know God better, but it means nothing if I don’t put into practice what He tells me! He makes it clear that I must treat people with honor and respect and treat them like family.
There is so much more in Romans chapter 12, I would recommend that you take time to read it. Don’t just read it once, take time to read it through multiple times, maybe even take a whole week and meditate on it.
Clinging to what is good, Mike