Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:9-10
Depending on who does the counting and which ones are included, there are at least 59 one anothers in Scripture.
We are to forgive one another, care for one another, serve one another, and be patient with one another. In the passage above, Paul adds two more to the long list:
- Be devoted to one another.
- Honor one another.
Both these fall under the over-arching umbrella of love. The message is clear: if we really and truly love one another, then we live that out by extending devotion and honor. Paul even adds a qualifier lest we try to shirk: above yourselves.
Read the passage again and allow it to marinate in your heart and mind.
Have you ever had a conversation with the Holy Spirit? You may have thought it was an over-active conscience, but nope … it’s the Spirit of God. He shows up in our thought life.
The one another conversation often surfaces when I’m reading Scripture. The Spirit of God delights in taking the Word of God and making it clear where my “Laura” is showing. As a follower of Christ, I want the Spirit in me to lead out. I want Him to be showing in my attitudes and behaviors.
We may extend an elementary-level attempt at honor—and might even feel pretty good about the effort put forth—when the Spirit of God shows up in a holy conversation:
Holy Spirit: Laura, I want you to honor her.
Laura: I did, Lord.
Holy Spirit: But did you honor her above yourself?
Busted.
I think those of us living in the Western World of freedom, fast food, and frenzied schedules enjoy our lives of grace. We love our liberty in Christ. What we don’t like is to be inconvenienced. So long as I can squeeze in my one anothers at a good time for me, I’m okay. But please, don’t ask me to reschedule my hair appointment, or my dental cleaning. And I always do laundry on Tuesday. Don’t call on Tuesday.
And for those of us with children still at home … is this such a high and holy calling that we get a pass on all the one anothers in Scripture? It may not be a conscious decision, but perhaps there’s an underlying attitude that effectively says, “I cannot accept that love assignment, Jesus. I am too busy with parental responsibilities.”
Ouch.
Sister Friend, I’ve been there. I’ve walked through the days of circling the wagons and tending to my home fire. Days of taking care of my own home and leaving everyone else to do the same.
I’ve also thrown myself all-in on the opposite end, behaving as if everyone’s need is my call.
May I very politely—but very pointedly—look you in the proverbial eye now, and tell you that both can be sinful and both can be rooted in pride?
We are to love one another, to honor one another above ourselves. And that might mean a cup of coffee with a hurting woman will trump my laundry-done-on-Tuesday regimen.
But I also want to tell you that teaching and training the children God entrusted to you is not something we are to “fit in” while dashing off to be everybody else’s everything. There are a few one anothers living under your own roof.
But how do I know which one another to love on today? How do I know if my honoring others is enough to satisfy the “above yourselves” criteria?
I’m glad you’re asking the question, but you’re asking the wrong person. It’s our Lord you need to ask.
Check in with Jesus.
Listen for the voice of His Spirit dwelling in you.
He loves holy conversations … and I’m convinced He especially loves it when we ask the opening question.
Laura introduces our July Write the WORD topic, in Friday’s devotional video:
Download your copy of July’s free bookmark HERE, and find the optional S.O.A.P. Bible study pages HERE.
