The Book of Romans ~ Lesson Twenty-Seven

"Seven Steps for an Authentic New Year's Resolution"


Romans 12:9-13 (Message)  Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
   Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

We've been taught as Christians to love as Jesus loves. Romans 12 helps us learn how to do just that. I want to break down how Paul teaches us to do just that. Here are seven steps to and authentic New Year's resolution:

1. Love from the center of who you are ~ don't fake it. It's hard to love others on your own power. As believers we depend on the Holy Spirit, who dwells at the center of our very being, to love for us. We can't fake it to make it. Genuine love comes from the Holy Spirit living within those who have given their very souls to Him for eternity.

1 Timothy 1:5 (Message) The whole point of what we're urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God.

2. Run from evil and hold to good. We all know when we face evil. It's obvious to those who are being led by the Holy Spirit. It's important to be in-tune with what the Holy Spirit wants for us. If we are living on our own power, then we are prone to wander.
   Like the old hymn "Come, Thou Fount" says, "Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart Lord take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above."
  I pray for the Lord, tether me to Himself. I'm prone to wander. We are all prone to wander and so we must live our lives according to His power, not our own.

Psalm 133 (Message) How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It's like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard, flowing down Aaron's beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes. It's like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion. Yes, that's where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life.

3. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. How can you be a good friend? Put others before yourself. That doesn't mean that you should play a "martyr"role. It means treat others as you would want to be treated. Think of others first. Jesus is the Master of this behavior. He gave Himself totally for our well-being.

Hebrews 13:1-2 (Message) Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love. Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it!

 4. Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. When we find ourselves burned out doing God's work, then we are going by our own power and not His. When I can't love anymore or be hospitable one more time, I know it's from going on my own power and not God's. His power is infinite and never runs out. I must keep my eyes on Him and refuel at His "gas pump." He holds us together and fills us with His power through the Holy Spirit living within each believer.

Hebrews 1:3 (Message) This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God's nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words!

5. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. We must not get complacent, but actively pursue our faith in Jesus. This means that we must keep in constant communication with the Lord and attentively listen to what He has to say to us. Our Bible should be open and read regularly. It is a supernatural book, not a regular dust collecting book. We must be very aware of its power. Not only are we His servants, we are recipients of all God is. We must have hope and wait expectantly for Him in every aspect of our lives.

Psalm 5:2-4 (NLT) Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

6. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Sometimes it's just easier to quit. We forget to pray and just give up. I'm in a place right now where I would just like to run from the situation and give up. Instead, I am going to pray and pray hard. I know my power and will to live come from Jesus through His Holy Spirit living within me. Are you in a place where you want to quit? Oh, my dear friend, don't give up. Pray all the harder.

James 5:13-15 (Message) Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out.

7. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. I also extend this to help all the "needy" who God places in our paths. We are to take care of our own, but we are to reach out to those who are in need. It takes the focus off of ourselves and on to others. We share God's love when we care for others. It takes practice to be hospitable. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Just like any skill, we get better with practice.

2 Corinthians 8:14 (NLT) Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.

Let's take these seven things today and begin doing them in our lives. We can't do it on our own, but we have a God who supplies the strength we need to live as Jesus. Now that's a real New Year's resolution: to live and love as Jesus.