Monday, March 20, 2017
Though I was never much of a fan of Country Music, there were a few tunes here and there which I either liked or else they certainly got my attention. One such tune, sung by David Allen Coe, had this rather odd line: “But you don’t have to call me darlin’, darlin.” To be honest, I never quite understood the song’s story line but, to me, it reminded me of those who flatter others or call them by sweet sounding names when it is pretty apparent their expression is less than genuine. Does the line: “You look marvelous, dahling” come to mind?
Anyway, that old tune came to mind recently when I was reading in Chapter 12 in the book of Romans. Verse 9 reads: “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” Other words for “dissimulation” are “hypocrisy” and dishonesty.” To me, it is a reminder for God’s children to be different than those in the world who only go around pretending that they sincerely care about others. How hard a task can that possibly be for those who have the love of Christ residing in their hearts? I choose to believe that the majority of those of you who are reading this blog, whether or not you are aware of it, are just looking for an opportunity to express or share the love of Christ with others. You are like the group of folks Jesus spoke about in the 25th Chapter of Matthew. They didn’t realize that the good they had done for others was the same as if they had done them for the Lord. That is why they asked: “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?” (verse 37)
The second part of Romans 12:9 reminds me that life is like eating at a cafeteria or buffet restaurant. We get choose what we want on our plate. We should reject that which is not good for us (abhor that which is evil) and really go for “that which is good.” It is the same when we hear someone preach or teach. We don’t have to receive something we didn’t like or agree with. We can pass it by just like we do with items at the buffet bar we don’t like. In fact, it is the same with these blogs. If you didn’t agree with something I wrote, pass it by just like you do at the cafeteria. After all, there is no preacher, teacher, or writer who is right every time. Some of us may not even be right half of the time. God’s instruction, however, remains: Our prayer should be: “Lord, help me to abhor and reject those things which are evil in your sight, and tightly cling to those which are good.”
God’s word for today: (Psalm 139:23) “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.”
