Bible Commentaries
Romans 12

Verses 1-2

Romans 12:1. I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Now here you have the beseechings of grace. It’s not the law, demanding you do something; but this is the entreaty of grace. It’s a plea for personal dedication to God. You know, I think sometimes that we who have been on the way for many, many years have lost that fervency, that freshness, that sweetness of love for the Saviour.

How about you, my friend?

Now, I’m not questioning your standing before God. All I ask is, how much do you love Him? How much do you really love Him? My, when I think of how good God has been to you and to me, there is only one thing we can do and that is to obey this verse. Let it get hold of you.

“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God”—not by anything else, just by the mercies and compassion of God—“to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice.” That’s all He asks.

Before we were saved, we yielded our members, our bodies unto sin. We yielded to the lusts of the flesh and the mind. Now he says, yield those very things to God.

Why? To be saved?

No.

To get something?

No.

Just because we love Him. It’s a voluntary thing. Notice, Paul says, “a living sacrifice,” not a dead sacrifice.

Somebody says, “I’ll die for Christ.” He didn’t ask you to do that. No, my friend, the challenge is to live for Him in the midst of a world that has no place for Him and in the midst of people—friends, neighbors, and relatives—who scorn you because you love the Saviour.

You remember that Paul said in Romans 1:1 that he was a bond-servant of Jesus Christ.

A bond-servant was one with no possessions of his own, no will of his own, no time of his own. He was given over to—he was possessed entirely by— his master.

And you remember the Lord said of the Levites, “These are mine.” They were not numbered among the tribes because “they are mine.”

You say, “Well, Mr. Mitchell, it’s going to cost me something.”

Yes, it costs to be a sacrifice. It’s a living, holy sacrifice.

You know, whenever I think of this verse, I think of a man by the name of John Alexander Clark, a missionary who was knighted by the Belgian gov­ernment. He spent his lifetime in the Congo. He told of treating a poor woman who had fallen into a fire and very severely burned her arm. He put some medicine on her arm and bandaged it and took care of her. And then, for quite a number of weeks, he would go daily to her hut and massage her arm until it became usable.

Months later, he was sitting in front of his hut one day when the woman came down from the vil­lage with a very, very large basket full of corn on top of her head. She came right to him and put the big basket down and said to him, “This is your corn.”

He said, “Oh, no, it isn’t. It isn’t my corn. I didn’t buy it—but I will buy it from you.”

“Oh, no,” she said. “I can’t sell this corn. It’s your corn.”

“No,” he said. “It is not my corn.”

“No,” she said, “you don’t understand. This corn is your corn. This arm is your arm. You’re the one who saved this arm. It’s your arm. This arm pre­pared the ground. This arm put the seed in and cultivated the soil. It gathered in the harvest. This arm is your arm. This corn is your corn.”

I have never forgotten that, and it’s been about 60 years.

I never forgot it because the Lord Jesus gave Himself for us.

Can we not give ourselves to Him so we become His arm? He redeemed us from the fire. He bought us with His own precious blood. He sacrificed to save you and me. The least we can do is to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God as our spiritual service of worship.

Have you done that, my friend?

If not, why not?

For out of this spiritual worship comes our ser­vice. I say, is the Lord asking too much of us that we should just give ourselves, holy, acceptable unto Him, a living sacrifice? It’s the only logical thing we can do.

Romans 12:2. And do not be conformed to this world (fashioned ac­cording to this age), but be transformed (transfigured) by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Paul first makes a negative statement: “Do not fashion yourselves according to this age.” Don’t run your life according to the world that is in op­position to Christ. This age is a selfish age. It pleases self instead of God. It is dominated by Sa­tan, not by Christ.

Don’t forget that.

To conform to this world and system is to manifest unfaithfulness to the One who re­deemed us from this present evil age.

Then he makes a positive statement. We are to be “transformed by the renewing” of our mind. The renewing is on the inside.

Transformation is on the outside. When we have our mind renewed by continual occupation with Christ, then we are able to prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. In­deed, it is the positive setting of your mind on Christ that prompts, that enables the transforma­tion.

I believe that knowing the perfect will of God for your life is the outcome of the dedication in verse 1. And I believe that, when I give myself as a pre­sent to Him, turn my body and all I am over to Him, then I begin to prove what is that good and perfect and acceptable will of God.

Now I beseech you by the grace of God, put yourself, put all you are and have in the hands of your wonderful Saviour; and then, through you, the Spirit of God will reveal something of the love­liness and beauty of Christ Jesus your Lord.

Verses 1-21

Romans 13:1-14; Romans 14:1-23; Romans 15:1-33; Romans 16:1-2

Verses 3-18

Romans 12:3. For through the grace given unto me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judg­ment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Now, first of all, he takes up the responsibility you and I, as members of the body of Christ, have to the Church which is His body. Remember, your gifts have been given to you under the sovereignty of God. The Spirit of God, I say, is not only sover­eign in the bestowal of gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-31), but He is sovereign in the place you have in the body of Christ. And He is sovereign in putting you in the place where you can exercise your gifts as you serve the Church which is His body.

You remember in Ephesians 4:16 and Colos­sians 2:19, we are put in the body for two reasons. First of all, for the edification of the body, as Paul said in Romans 1:11-12, “For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established . . . each of us by the other’s faith” as we share together in the things of Christ.

I believe we ought to share with each other what we know about the Saviour. As we do so, we en­courage each other. We may impart to somebody else truth that he has never seen; and, in like manner, he may impart to us something we have never seen.

You see, friend, there is so much more to know. We haven’t even scratched the surface. There is so very much in the Word of God that we don’t know. That’s true of me. Isn’t it true of you?

In fact, I want to say that some of the most won­derful truths I ever learned as a young Christian, I learned not in seminary, not in school. I learned them in some old sod shacks way up in northern Canada, sitting down on an earthen floor with a homesteader telling me what he or she knew of the Saviour.

It’s true that I didn’t know much in those days; but, believe me, I met people who were not men of the schools. They were not scholars by any means; and some I don’t think even went through grade school. But don’t tell me they didn’t know the things of God.

There was a sweetness, an aroma about them in the things of Christ that caused me to have a tre­mendous yearning. This is what I want. This is real, not something to tickle my intellectual capac­ity but something to reach the need of my heart. It was the reality of life in Christ that I saw.

What I’m trying to get to you is this. God has given to each one of us gifts, according to the measure of faith. It is God who in His sovereignty has put us in the body of Christ as it pleased Him. And He has gifted us by the Spirit of God as it has pleased Him. It’s not what we want. It’s what God wants. The Lord knows all about you. He knows all about me. And He knows the best place for you and for me to serve Him. He has put us in the body as it has pleased Him. He has put us there to function so that He will be glorified.

Romans 12:4. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,

Romans 12:5. So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and indi­vidually members one of another.

In other words, my friend, you can’t get along without me and I can’t get along without you. If I may go to 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 for a moment, my eye cannot say to my ear, “I have no need of you.” And the ear can’t say to the nose or mouth, “I have no need of you.” Each one has a different function. What God wants us to do is to walk in fellowship with Christ Jesus, our Head. And as we do, then we will be able to use our gift and to edify the other members of the Body.

The second thing we are to do is to increase the Body, and that’s soul winning. It is ministering the Word, communicating the Word to our generation. And you, my friend, might claim to be the weakest member in the body of Christ.

All right, I’ll take your word for that. You are the weakest member of the body of Christ, but you have a place to function. You might be only a joint, but even so you must function. And, you see, the Church of Christ on earth can’t get along without you or without me. No one can take your place.

You say, “Well, Mr. Mitchell, I don’t know what He wants me to do.”

Now that may be true. But all I’m asking you to do is to walk in fellowship with Christ in the light of His Word. He will soon tell you what to do. It will be put upon your heart what to do. God will open up doors for you. Or it may be that God’s ministry for you might be in your bedroom or in a hospital room or a nursing home room with the door shut where you may have a ministry of inter­cessory prayer. That, I would say, is one of the most needed ministries in the world today.

Oh, for God’s people to take some time to wait upon Him, to intercede on behalf of the Gospel of Christ and to think of our missionar­ies, of His servants all over the world.

Sometimes they feel forgotten. Nobody prayed. Oh, it would be terrible if a man or woman were to go to the mission field and have nobody behind him in prayer.

Why don’t you take some of them upon your heart and pray for them? Take your place in the body of Christ as one who intercedes. Oh, the need for God’s intercessors, God’s remembrancers, to remind God of these things.

Of course, God knows all about them. He doesn’t need to be reminded, but it is in the purpose of God that you and I share with Him. We are, as 1 Corinthians 3:9 says, “We are God’s fellow-workers.”

To do what job?

To reach our generation.

Think of it, my friend. You, whoever you may be, have a particular place in the Church, the Body of Christ. And, as you yield yourself to the Lord, He works through you. Now, nobody might see what you do. Nobody might even know what you do.

But He knows, He hears, He will reward. You’ll see.

Verses 6-8

Everyone of us must minister in the body of Christ. Everyone of us. When you don’t minister, then the body suffers. And I’m pleading with you, especially these days, because I believe the coming of the Lord is near. We must buy up every oppor­tunity of reaching our generation for Christ.

Will you pray that every testimony for Christ will be given in the power of the Spirit of God to our generation? How glad I am we are workers to­gether with Him in this blessed ministry. Each of us has a ministry. Our service really is measured by how much of a heart we have for Christ.

Romans 12:6. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;

Romans 12:7. If service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;

Romans 12:8. Or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

You will notice there are seven gifts mentioned here. The Spirit of God outfits the believer to serve the Lord Christ. One man has the gift of evangel­ism; another man has the gift of teaching. We all have different gifts. Some are public gifts; many others are personal. Notice the first:

If our gift is prophecy, let us prophesy ac­cording to the proportion of faith. The gift of prophecy is for edification and comfort. This is more in the sense of giving forth the Word of Life. And we give it according to the proportion of faith.

Now prophecy doesn’t necessarily mean prophe­sying future events. A prophet is one who repre­sents God to the people. A priest is one who repre­sents the people to God. Every Christian is a priest. We find in 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9 that we are a holy priesthood and a royal priesthood. That is, we can pray for each other.

A prophet is one who speaks for God to others. When I speak from the Word of God, I am prophe­sying. Now everyone doesn’t have this gift. But those who have it are to use it to give forth the Word.

Now the second gift mentioned here is ser­vice, ministry. This is pouring out our lives for others. You have this, for example, in Ephesians 4:12. You have it in 2 Corinthians 10:1-18.

Certain men in the gospel ministry are not evan­gelists or teachers, but they are good pastors. They minister to the needs of God’s people. As long as you are a member of the body of Christ, you can minister. You can minister to the preacher. You can minister to others. You can reveal to them things whereby they can be encouraged in the Lord. Anyone can have a ministry.

“Or he who teaches, in his teaching.”

God has given certain men gifts of teaching so that they can make the Word of God clear. Ezra, a scribe in the Old Testament, made the Word of God clear as he spoke to the people. Likewise, a teacher is one who instructs God’s people in the Word of God. Now that’s a gift.

I have friends who have a tremendous capacity for knowledge. But when it comes to imparting that knowledge, they have a very difficult time.

You can ask them a question, and they can an­swer you. But you put them down before a group of people, and they just can’t communicate it for some reason or other. They don’t have the gift of teaching.

Now you may not be able to qualify like G. Campbell Morgan or someone else who has a tre­mendous gift of teaching. Nevertheless, you can impart the truth of God to others, whether in Sun­day School, young peoples’ meetings or whatever. If you have the gift of teaching, use it.

“He who exhorts, in his exhortation.”

Now a man who exhorts God’s people encour­ages them to be obedient to the Word of God. He encourages them in the vital concerns in their own lives.

A friend of mine, a well-known man, when asked what his gift was, said, “I’m not a teacher, I’m not an evangelist, I’m not a pastor. I’m an exhorter.”

He had the gift of encouraging God’s people to do something for God. He exhorted them to per­form the ministry to which God had called them. A person may not be a teacher of doctrine, but he can stand up and give a devotional to exhort the people of God, to encourage them to walk with God in the midst of a world that is lawless and sinful.

That’s the work of an exhorter. Now, if you love to exhort, don’t try to be a teacher or an evangelist or pastor. Stick to your job of exhortation. We need the teacher. We need the pastor. We need the evangelist. We need the exhorter. And then notice this next one—

“He who gives, with liberality.”

You remember, one day, when our Lord was standing by the treasury in the temple, the Phari­sees came along and blew their trumpets and made a lot of noise so everybody could see what they put into the treasury box. And along came a little widow who slipped in her two mites and kept on going.

Nobody saw it except the Lord. But He spoke wonderfully about the little widow, her joy of giving and her sacrifice. He never said a word about the old Pharisees and the amount of money they put in. When you give, give with simplicity.

And, by the way, lest somebody should say, “Well, Mr. Mitchell, you know that I don’t have the gift of giving . . .”

Now, don’t you try to rationalize your stinginess. That’s a poor word to use, isn’t it? You know what I mean, don’t you? Don’t hold back. But if you do give, give it with simplicity. Give it with a heart that is wholehearted for God. Give it because you love Him.

And, remember, God will never be in your debt. So if you are going to give, give with simplicity.

“He who leads, with diligence.” If you are a member of a board of your local church, when you serve, do it with diligence. Do it with a heart before God.

Remember, this is a God-given responsibility. Did you hear what I said? It’s a God-given respon­sibility, and you rule with diligence as if it were your own business.

It’s an amazing thing, but I’ve seen men who were very diligent in their business in the world. But when it came to the Lord’s business, they were sloppy. They were indifferent. No, you be just as diligent in the work of the Lord and leadership as you are in your own business. It is God’s busi­ness, and we should do it with diligence. Don’t you miss your meetings, and don’t slack up on your responsibilities. Lead with diligence.

And then the last one.

“He who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Galatians 6:1 comes to my mind in connection with this. “If a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourselves, lest you too be tempted.”

Now here is a ministry. It may be with the sick. It may be with failing, stumbling believers. It may be with discouraged Christians. It may be with disheartened Christians. What they need is not a club. What they need is some mercy. God has been wonderful in His mercy to you and to me. Should we not show the same thing to God’s peo­ple?

“Brother Mitchell, if you only knew what they’ve done!”

I don’t care what they have done. What they need is not a club, not a kick. What they need is some mercy. Oh, that God would put into your heart and my heart a spirit of mercy for God’s people. Now don’t go into a hospital room as if your last day had come. When people are sick, they need to be cheered up; they need encourage­ment.

You find some Christians who are downhearted because of the roughness of the path. They are having a hard time. Everything is going wrong. They’re discouraged and down in the dumps. And what they need is someone who will come along and understand them, care for them, love them, show them mercy.

And if you find Christians who have been taken over by some sin, please don’t judge them. Don’t knock them on the head. Don’t go around and tell everyone about them. You manifest mercy and en­courage them in the Lord. Put your arm around them and encourage them in the Saviour. Remind them that the Lord is full of mercy and grace. Re­mind them that they have a throne of grace to which they can come and there obtain all the mercy and all the grace they need. Show mercy.

We have been discussing these seven gifts, the outfitting of the Church of God by the Spirit:

* for prophesying—that’s for edification and comfort;

* for service, pouring out your life for others;

* for teaching the Word of God, appealing to minds and hearts what God has declared;

* for exhorting, appealing to peoples’ will; and then

* for giving heartily and

* for leading diligently. Remember, you are rep­resenting God in the midst of His people.

And then

* for showing mercy. Oh, how we need Chris­tians who have that spirit of mercy and who can exercise it with cheerfulness.

Don’t you think we need these seven blessed ministries today?

These are the gifts and every Christian has a gift. You may not be a teacher, you may not be a prophet, you may not be a minister, you may not be able to exhort, you may not have much to give, you are not a member of a board, but you can show mercy.

Oh, God give us Christians who can show mercy to God’s people in their need and their troubles, in their frailties, in their sins, in their sorrows. Don’t you think it would be a wonderful thing to come with a cheerful spirit manifesting mercy? And be that kind of person in your own family, too.

Oh, for that understanding spirit that can take the dear people of God in all their frailty and love them so much that they turn to the Saviour in re­pentance or they are encouraged to go on for Him.

You and I have a tremendous place in this. Why not begin to exercise the gift you have, and the Lord bless you for His name’s sake.

Verses 9-18

Romans 12:9. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

“Let love be real” is what he is talking about. “Let love be without hypocrisy.” It must not be something you put on like a coat.

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13—“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love,” it’s nothing else but an empty tin can. Though I give my body to be burned, give all my goods to feed the poor . . . Though I prophesy and everything else and have no love, I am nothing. Love is patient and is kind.

And here in Romans you have, “Let love be with­out hypocrisy.” Don’t put on. Let’s be genuine in our love.

“Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” In other words, this is to be our attitude to evil men and to evil things. Abhor that which is evil. Run away. Don’t put yourself in the way of temptation.

We think sometimes, “Why, I’ll never do that.” But we do. And we do it again and again. Why? Because we put ourselves in the way of tempta­tion. Are we not all guilty here?

You say that God delivered you from some of your weaknesses, sins in your lifetime, habits, cor­rupt sinful things you did before you were saved. And after you were saved, the Lord put in your heart a desire to please Him. You think that that desire is so strong now evil things won’t tempt you.

Listen and don’t you forget it. Don’t you forget it! Don’t you put yourself in the way of temptation because—just as sure, just as sure as your name is what it is —you will do it.

A man says to me, “Well, Mitchell, I can take it or leave it.”

I know what he is going to do. He is going to take it.

“Abhor” means to hate, to run away from that which is evil. The Word of God says, “Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

My friend, don’t you forget that you are pretty weak. All of us are, as Paul found out. You re­member Romans 7:18: “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” Remember that you are just as weak now as before you were saved. Just as you trusted the Lord then, you must trust Him now for everything every day. The Lord is the deliverer, not your strong will.

Romans 12:10. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give pref­erence to one another in honor.

Sometimes, I think kindness is a forgotten art. It doesn’t cost you anything to be kind. A kind word, a kind act—oh, friend, how this world needs it. There are so many dear, dear Christian people who would welcome kindness from somebody. There are so many lonely people in the world. They have lost their family.

Maybe a dear woman has lost her husband, and her children are living in some other part of the world. She is alone. Oh, how she needs some little kindnesses—a kind word, a kind act. You think about that, will you? And be kind.

You say, “But, Mr. Mitchell, I have no gift.”

You can be kind. You can be full of mercy to­ward people. We don’t need a gift to be kind!

“Give preference to one another in honor.”

This is not a very common thing, is it? There is no self-exaltation here in preferring one another. What if the other fellow wants your job? Let him have the job. Don’t be envious.

Don’t be jealous. Oh, how it must rejoice the heart of God when self is put to one side and the other brother is given the place of honor.

May God grant to us, you and me, a generous spirit when we meet with God’s people—not to be always looking for a place of honor for ourselves but to let the other fellow have it.

Romans 12:11. Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serv­ing the Lord.

What does this mean?

Be diligent. Don’t lie down on the job.

You say, “I don’t like my job.”

All the more reason to be diligent, to do your job for the Lord and to be the best fellow on that job. Remember, you are serving the Lord Christ.

You say, “I don’t get what’s coming to me.”

Listen, can’t you trust the Lord who loves you? Can’t you trust Him to pay you for what you are doing? Not that the Lord wants to pay you in ma­terial things. But I’m telling you one thing, my friend: He will never be in your debt. If you are serving and doing the job as unto the Lord, you can trust God to take care of you. And not only that, but it becomes no longer a chore, no longer a burden. It becomes a real joy. Why? You are doing it for God.

So don’t be lazy in business. Believe me, a lazy man or woman is no credit to the Lord.

Did you hear me? No lazy man or woman is a credit, an honor to the Lord. Never mind what people say about it.

You serve the Lord Christ. You’ll do a better job, too, by the way.

Whatever the task is, you do it as unto the Lord. Believe me, the Lord will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

“Fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.”

What a wonderful thing—burning up in spirit, fervent in spirit, a heart that’s warm for God.

Is your heart warm toward Him?

You know, I remember a man by the name of Harvey Farmer. The dear, dear man from North Af­rica was telling us one time that he went to a col­lege to see a young fellow. And when he got to the room of the dormitory, he said to this boy’s room­mate, “When will he be in?”

“I expect him to be in any minute.”

He walked over to the desk and said, “Is this his Bible?”

And he said, “Yes.”

And he opened it to the fly leaf and do you know what was written on the fly leaf of the boy’s Bible? I’ll quote: “Wanted: Wicks to burn out. Oil sup­plied.”

That’s what God wants. He wants us to be fer­vent in spirit, burning up for God. Or let me put it just a little simpler. Is your heart full of fervent love in warmth, in desire, for the things of God? Are you fervent in your spirit? Isn’t this what John means in Revelation 2:1-29 when he writes about “first love,” that fervency, that freshness of love for the Saviour?

We have another triplet in Romans 12:12.

Romans 12:12. Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer.

Why rejoice in hope? Because the Lord is going to come pretty soon. We must live in daily expecta­tion of seeing the Saviour. As 1 Timothy 1:1 says, “He is our hope.”

Are you living in the expectation of His coming? Are you rejoicing in hope of the glory of God? As dear Paul could say in Romans 8:18, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Isn’t it wonderful that you and I can live today in expectation of seeing Him whom, having not seen, we love? So we are filled with joy.

But you say, “I’m in sorrow right now. I’m in tribulation right now. I’m having a tough time right now.”

But lift up your head. Your redemption draws near. The Lord is at hand. Think of the early mar­tyrs. They went into the amphitheater singing the glories of Jesus even though they were going to be torn to pieces by wild beasts. They knew they had a hope, and they went singing.

They went singing. Why?

Because they were rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. They were going to say, “Good night, earth! Good morning, glory!” Oh, to rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Won’t you do that today?

“Persevering in tribulation.”

You know, it’s very hard sometimes to be patient in tribulation. Some people become so self-sympathetic.

“My, nobody goes through what I go through. I tell you,” they say, “no one has the tests I have.”

Did you ever hear that? Well, don’t worry about that, friend. Don’t get occupied with yourself. You’ll get discouraged. Glory in your tribulation, says Paul, because tribulation works. It’s doing something for you. “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

A friend of mine was very sick in the hospital and, when I saw him, he said, “You know a verse came to me today. I’m just thrilled I’m not going to be here very long.”

I said, “What makes you say that?”

He said, “I was reading in Peter. It talks about the God of peace and that, after you have suffered awhile, He will perfect you and strengthen you and so on. You see, Mr. Mitchell, I’m only going to suf­fer for a while. There’s an end to this thing, and God is going to work out something for my perfec­tion and for His glory.”

That’s the way to look at it, isn’t it? Persevering in tribulation.

And in the same verse, we are to be “devoted to prayer.” What do we mean by that? Being ready at any time to pray.

“Do you mean to tell me, Mr. Mitchell, that on the job, driving the car, at home, be always ready to pray?”

Well, why not? Our Lord said in Luke 18:1-43, the first verse, you remember, that men ought always to pray and not to lose heart. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to be on your knees all the time or praying all the time in the sense of words. But your heart should be so in touch with the Lord that whatever comes into your life you can talk to Him about it.

If you meet some child of God going through some testing or having problems, you can pray with him. You can do that as you do your job. Or as 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceas­ing (pray always—always).” That means to be al­ways ready at any time to lift up your heart to the Lord in prayer for whatever may come. In other words, we are workers together with God. The least thing in your life is of great interest to Him, and it’s wonderful to just sit down and talk to the Lord about it or to go on about your business and commune with Him about it.

Romans 12:13. Contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hos­pitality.

Certainly, if Christians can’t meet other Christians in their need, who will? Both 1 John 3:16-18 and 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 take up this matter. Be generous. God will never let you down. You do it for His glory, for His name’s sake to bring bless­ing, to ease someone else’s burdens. Let’s be gen­erous.

And then, practice hospitality. I like what Hebrews 13:2 says about entertaining angels un­awares. Do it without complaint as you have it in 1 Peter 4:9. Be given to hospitality, but don’t do it with a grudging spirit.

Don’t say, “Well, I wish they would go on home. I wish they would go some place else. Don’t they know I’m busy?”

No, be given to hospitality. Oh, how often, how often, whether you know it or not, you will uplift someone by that little act of kindness of yours, that hospitable spirit of yours, that stopping the thing you are doing just to encourage some dear soul that has come to you or to your home in need.

And, my, the joy it gives you when you meet their need or at least you try to meet their need. Be given to hospitality.

And do invite the saints home. Often the only ones who get invited home are the pastor or the visitors. And, more often, even they are not invited home. Hospitality is a responsibility, not a gift. These are very, very practical things.

Romans 12:14. Bless those who persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Bless them. Follow the example of our Lord in 1 Peter 2:23, who “while being reviled, He did not re­vile in return . . . but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

You know, it is a wonderful thing not to retali­ate. Somebody—maybe a relative—calls you all kinds of names, and you know they are not very just in what they are doing. What they are saying is wrong. The great yearning and the most natural thing is to retaliate. Now instead of retaliating, just you bless them. Just take it quietly.

I know what the natural reaction is. You take a little boy. Let somebody touch him and, immedi­ately, without any thought, he will turn on that person and strike back. I know that. That’s so natural.

But Christianity is the supernatural life. Any­body can retaliate. It takes a strong man not to re­taliate. “Bless those who persecute you,” and, of course, the rest of the verse, “Bless and curse not.” You can disarm people by manifesting a sweet, sweet spirit.

And then Romans 12:15 is a rather remarkable verse.

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

“Do you mean, Mr. Mitchell, I have to go around crying?”

Paul means this. You are to enter into the joys and the tests and sorrows of fellow Christians. If you are at a wedding, no matter how you feel, you rejoice with the bride and groom. May their joy be filled full because you are part of their celebration.

And if you are with those who are going through testing, sorrow and heartache, enter sympatheti­cally with them. Manifest mercy and kindness and understanding and love. This is not being a hypo­crite, my friend. This is thinking about the other fellow, rejoicing with him and not robbing him of his joy by being a pickle. No. Remember, we had this in Romans 12:8: “He who shows mercy, (let him do it) with cheerfulness.”

Romans 12:16. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

In other words, live in harmony with all men. I know it’s very easy to want to be with somebody who is so-called great or who has a reputation. Forget about that. Seek out people who are lowly, humble in mind and who live a genuine life. That’s what he is after. You fellowship with lowly men and don’t be conceited.

Romans 12:17. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

Don’t return evil for evil. Rather, of course, re­turn good. I would suggest 1 Peter 3:9, “Not re­turning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”

Now the Apostle Peter has been writing about the relation of husbands and wives. Don’t rail upon each other because that builds up a wall be­tween you, he says. But if one starts to rail on the other, let the other just turn around and bless. Don’t render evil for evil.

Don’t render railing for railing but, instead, blessing.

Now I have preached on this subject several times —you’ll forgive a wee little personal note, won’t you—and I’ve always thought I was in con­trol of these things. But the Lord brought this home to me one night when I’d come home storm­ing about something or someone and I took it out on Mary Mitchell, the way men do sometimes. You know.

It’s not that we don’t love our wife, it’s just— well, you know men.

I crabbed about something she’d spent a lot of time on—something new she’d made for din­ner—and she just smiled and said, “The Lord bless you, honey.”

Talk about putting a man in his place! We still laugh about it.

Then Paul says, “Respect what is right in the sight of all men.” Be honest in all your dealings with the outside world and with Christians, too. Don’t take advantage of another Christian. Don’t force him to take a lower price for his goods or services. Let us be honest in what we do, honest in what we say. Remember we are children of One who is God, and He wants us to be honest in the sight of all men. And don’t you for one moment pay back evil for evil or demand a bargain.

Romans 12:18. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Be at peace with all men as far as it is possi­ble. I suggest Hebrews 12:14, and our Lord Him­self speaks of it in Mark 9:50.

I needn’t go any further in this. These are very practical exhortations about our relationship, our responsibility, our service, our ministry the one to the other. Read them over and over again. Re­member, it’s as we walk in fellowship with God that our lives show forth His praise. May that be true today.

Now starting in at verse 19 and running through to the end of the chapter, Paul gives us our rela­tionship, our responsibility toward those who don’t love us or like us, who are opposed to the ministry which you and I may do and opposed to our Chris­tian faith. This is very common.

They call us all kinds of names. If you try to live as a Christian and please God, you are bound to receive opposition of some kind. Now don’t run away from it. That’s the last thing you should do. Remember in Ephesians 6:10-18, there is no ar­mor for the back.

Let’s face up to it. The closer you walk to the Lord and the more you seek to please Him, the greater will be the opposition you can expect. We are living in a world that has no place for the Sav­iour. So what is my relationship to be?

Verses 19-21

Romans 12:19. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY, SAYS THE LORD.”

Romans 12:20. “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS UPON HIS HEAD.”

Romans 12:21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

You know, it is very, very hard not to seek re­venge. It is very difficult to leave everything to the Lord. You feel like saying, “Lord, hurry up.” No, again may I refer you to 1 Peter 2:21-23. Our Lord Jesus Christ left us an example, that we should follow in His steps, “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth; and while be­ing reviled, He did not revile in return; while suf­fering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

You see, you and I cannot judge righteously. We do not know all the facts involved. We do not know all the circumstances. But you can leave every­thing to the Lord; for it says here in Romans 12:19, “It is written, vengeance is mine, I will re­pay, says the Lord.” And believe me, my friend, you can trust God to repay.

Somebody has said that God is the only one who can pay back personally and accurately. You and I can’t. And if you have any enemies, you be kind to them. Your very kindness may open their eyes to their need of a Saviour.

Or, if I may add, it may increase their doom. I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 where Paul says, “We are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?”

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “The word (the preaching) of the cross is . . . foolishness.” To whom? To them that perish. And when you and I give forth our testimony, oftentimes we are hin­dered; we are opposed and sometimes cursed.

So what!

So what?

Bless them. Be cheerful. In some way just manifest something of the grace and the mercy and patience of the Lord.

And I want to tell you, my friend, it really works. I have seen fellows be so ashamed of the things they’ve said. They wouldn’t have been ashamed if one had cursed them back or reviled them back. That would have meant increasing the hate or the fight.

Just bless them. Overcome evil with good. It really works.