Welcome to Day 27 of the 40Days of Return. Today I want to draw your attention to a series of instructions from Romans 12. Let us start with Romans 12:9: Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Love must be sincere
Sincerity entails meaning what you say and saying what you mean. I understand people sometimes say what they do not mean and pretend to be what they are not to others.
What I do not easily understand is that people can love without sincerity – pretending to love others yet without truly loving them at all. Do Christians do that? Yes. That scripture was not written to unbelievers but to believers. So, if it is possible, you and I must endeavor to listen to that counsel and ensure we are sincere in love.
Do not lie about saying you love someone when you actually do not. Be forthright and settle issues with people rather than bottle things up and pretend.
Hate what is evil
The second in this series of instruction is a call to develop hatred, not dislike but hatred, for evil. Evil is whatever God calls evil in His Word.
Today, many polls, such as Gallup’s have shown that more evangelicals are coming close in their perspective and opinions about evils as the rest of the world. This should make your heart very sad.
If you are beginning to embrace abortion, racism, discrimination, and other contemporary ideas purported against God, then you are in need of repentance. You need to cry to God for help and let him reclaim your heart, loyalty, and love again. Why? Because love must be sincere. If you claim to love God, then you must do what He loves and stand for what God stands for.
Cling to what is good
As you probably know, we are in a generation where what is evil is called good and what is good is described as evil. But the Bible says you must cling to what is good.
Family as designed by God – a man and a woman getting legally married, having children, and raising their kids in the fear and love of the Lord – is good. Cling to it and never be ashamed of it.
Living apart from someone you are engaged to be married to is good, cling to it, and do not be ashamed. Cohabiting and mating might have become the fashion in the world today, it should not be heard among believers.
I understand Christians are also becoming victims of this evil, the scriptures say to hate it. It is not enough to hate what is evil; you must cling to what is good. Cherish it and stand for it, without shame.
Gathering with other believers in fellowship and church is good, cling to it. Speaking forth about your faith is good, cling to it.
Extending help to others without expecting anything back is good, cling to it. Remember what the scripture says in James 4:17: If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Sincerity has no middle ground
Sincerity does not have a middle ground, no it does not involve sitting on the fence. It is either Yes or No. Sincerity is hating evil and clinging to what is good. Remember you cannot claim to love people when you are not sincere. Scripture says in 1 John 4:20: Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
Do not love God by mere confession, love Him sincerely. Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:8: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Again Jesus says in John 14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Love, says the Word of the Lord, must be sincere – backed with genuineness and actions.
