Habits for a Holy Life

We are continuing a journey through Romans 12. This is a progressive and continual line of thought requiring action that leads us into the holy life God has called us to. It all starts here. Take time to read the first in this series as well as the second.

We now get to a staccato burst of expectations of how we are truly to live as followers of Jesus.

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Romans 12:9–13 (ESV)

This is just the start of the list, but we should not look at this as a rigid set of requirements but as achievable goals once we have surrendered our lives and transformed our thinking as described in Romans 12:1-2. Once achieved, the goals become habits. This is a start to establishing the habits of a holy life.

There are thirteen goals listed in these few verses.

Genuine love

Love as described here is self-giving love. It’s a love that transcends differences. It is self-sacrificing and perfectly described in 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (ESV)

Abhor evil

We cannot play around with evil. It is dangerous for us to see how close to evil we can come without falling. We must stay as far as we can from temptation. While we abhor evil, we cannot abhor the evil doer necessarily. This is a fine line. Often, when we express how much we hate evil, the evil doer perceives that as hating him or her. The Holy Spirit helps us walk that fine line.

Hold fast to the good

This is set in contrast to abhorring evil. When we cling to the good and rejoice in it, we can easily be consumed by it – and this is a good thing! We should flood our lives with good things: worship, praise, scripture, inspiring entertainment, the glory of nature, loving relationships and godly mentors.

Love, again

Love is central to the holy life. This time we are talking about a more personal love. This is friendship, affection and genuinely liking one another. There are people who are more difficult to get along with. But that is not an excuse to withhold brotherly affection. We will naturally build stronger bonds with some people than others but this brotherly affection is another worthy and achievable goal.

Honor

The call is to not only show honor but to outdo each other in it! Imagine what a church would be like if we all took this to heart! No one would want to stay away!!

Hot service

The next three that we see are closely linked, so I put them all together. We are to serve the Lord energetically with passion and full commitment. Since we love God so much, this shouldn’t be hard at all. We give all we can of ourselves in this service. We hold nothing back.

Rejoice

We have a solid hope. When you think about our future and all the promises of God, there is no end of hope. Things are sometimes bad. That’s life. But with Jesus, we always have hope. Rejoicing in that hope is appropriate and encouraging.

Be patient

Tribulation, trouble, trials, difficulties, and all of life is hard! Sometimes it seems like the hard times will never end. We can handle these things with the help of the Lord. Just as we can rejoice in hope, we can be patient in tribulation. The word patient in this context really means to endure. Endurance is a powerful quality in the life of a follower of Jesus. And the Holy Spirit helps us endure.

Pray

To be constant in prayer means to be faithful or persistent. Our prayer lives must be dynamic, enthusiastic and strong. Prayer should never be a chore but a continual conversation with God to glorify him, advance his kingdom and intercede for others, as well as present our own petitions. Prayer leads us into the presence of God, the perfect place for a holy life!

Giving

Giving is an essential part of worship and fellowship. We are continually encouraged to see the needs around us and contribute to those in need. The principle of the church being the body of Christ means that when one suffers, we all suffer. Therefore, for the health of the body and our individual health, we give to those in need.

Hospitality

Some people have the gift of hospitality. But we all have the responsibility of hospitality. We need to strive to make people comfortable in our presence. Treating people as important, attending to their needs and showing compassion and care are all part of hospitality.

Reflect

Everything that was written in those few verses is achievable for every follower of Jesus. When we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us, these things are quickly picked up and then retained. Because we have a choice, we must be reminded of their essential nature so we can take inventory of our life to make sure we are keeping up! Reach these goals, establish them as habits and continue to grow in the holy life God has called you to.

I encourage you to be prayerful as you read this chapter and ask God to help you be everything he wants you to be!