Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality (Romans 12:9-13, RSV).

I must admit that I have difficulty memorizing scripture. I don’t typically botch up the verse completely as I am almost always able to retain its meaning, but I’ll sometimes substitute a word or leave a portion of a sentence out. Sometimes I’ll even forget where in the Bible a verse once committed to memory is located; I admire people who can rattle off verse after verse, even citing entire chapters!

As a young believer, I remember trying to recite the above scripture and having a difficult time committing it to memory. What helped was to memorize the verse with someone else and that person was a young woman by the name of Linda. Linda and I were part of the same high school graduating class, meeting each other when we were part of the same group of zealous young Christians who desired to memorize scripture and share the Good News with everyone. After much effort the verses stuck and some thirty years later they still come back to mind.

I’m not sure why we chose the five verses mentioned in Romans 12, maybe because memorizing the entire chapter was daunting. Still, these particular verses provide excellent instructions for how the Christian should live, advice we’d all do well applying to our own walk.

To this day there are several points in these memory verses which I try to recall as I go about my life:

Genuine love — Oh, how much I fall short in this area! It is easy to love those who love you, but even the heathen do that. Instead, hating evil means just that: hating the sin, not the sinner while clinging to what we know is right and good. We can’t expect those who walk in darkness to shine a light, right?

Affection and honor — Our sexed up world has no idea what the former means and it seems that the latter has fallen out of favor. Still, genuinely caring for our brethren and striving to be honorable in all matters are two attributes worthy of practicing.

Be zealous — We American Christians are cooling off.  Many Christians today are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — and at risk of being tossed out of God’s mouth.  I still see a lot of youngsters on fire for the Lord, but that is something us “mature” believers can be too. Let’s leave our comfort zones and take some God-inspired risks!

Rejoice! — No matter what we we’re going through, we’re to have a thankful heart to God. These “momentary light afflictions” will soon pass and our burdens can be eased by regularly approaching the throne of grace with our praise, prayers, and petitions.

Help others — The last verse has always stuck out in my mind. Though it is good to help sinners when so afflicted, Paul is telling the church to help other believers. I certainly am a supporter of missionary work, but I never want to see my brothers and sisters neglected. Oftentimes this means that I can do something personally to lift their burden and being hospitable is a good start!

God, through Jesus Christ, has given us all that we need to live godly lives. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can do as the young church did: turn the world upside down and carry His Message to the uttermost. But first, let us practice loving each other a clear demonstration to this world that the redeeming power of Jesus Christ is real.

Photo Credit: Sophie

The lives of many people have been touched this past week ever since learning that singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman’s daughter was killed in an accident at home. The family’s SUV being driven by her brother, ran over five year old Maria Sue while backing down the driveway, fatally injuring her.

Chapman, a Christian artist whose singing has pointed people to a deeper walk with Jesus Christ, is best known for his songs which paint vivid word pictures to encourage people to draw closer to God. It is this same closeness the Chapman family must now rely on to see them through.

The accident was horrible is so many ways, not the least being the loss of a young life. Her brother’s involvement is particularly devastating, the guilt he must be feeling has to be overwhelming. Psalm 55:5 — Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.

As Christians, we know that God is quick to forgive and He will heal the broken-hearted. Maria Sue is with her Father in heaven, at peace and feeling no pain. Her surviving family members will have much to work through and the prayers of the saints will ease much of that burden.

Maria Sue was the youngest of the six Chapman children, one of three young girls adopted from China. The Chapmans’ burden for international adoption is evident in Shaohannah’s Hope, a ministry to aid families who want to adopt but don’t have the funds to pursue this option. I’ve been told that more than 1700 families have been helped so far, with the average grant being about $3000.

Visit House Mix to read about the Maria Sue memorial service and please remember to pray for the Chapman family.

Malachi 4:2 — But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.

The following Steven Curtis Chapman music video, Cinderella, is a wonderful expression of a man’s love for God and for the children entrusted to him: