Outdoing One Another? (Romans 12:10)

Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor.  (Romans 12:10) (ESV)

WOW! That’s a new concept…Competing, outdoing one another in love.  We all like to compete, we see it in churches all the time.  We see it in children as well.  Competing for attention, but how about competing in loving our pastor more or anybody else for that matter.

Here are verse 9,10 in the Message translation (A translation in English is the same verse said in a different way)

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.

This says it differently…play second fiddle means put the other before you.  Play to accompany, to uplift.

In other words, God expects us to excel in love and get better and better at it.  We got to outdo, outperform one another in love.  Not comparing to the other but constantly outdo for the sake of God’s reputation.  Meanwhile the Body of believers will receive healing just by the fact everyone will be loving one another.  Of course, we must be wise and behave correctly between the genders.

Imagine if Christians would practice these verses alone our world would take notice of who Jesus is, I am sure.  Just as the song mentions: “They will know we are Christians by our love.”

We don’t need to formulate witnessing strategies anymore.  We need LOVE from God poured into our lives.

Let’s pray for that to happen before it is too late.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant and rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoice with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endure all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

I know that sounds like perfection and we are not perfect but we ought not to give up in well-doing but aim to perfection.  This post is to encourage you to do better as I am going to do before God and people.

Let us be “Olympians” in loving one another.

Let us not be discouraged but be encouraged to love more and more.

Actions speak louder than words you know?