The Lighthouse Devotional
Author: Fay Alleyne-Kirnon
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Rom 12:9 NIV).
PERSONAL REFLECTION
Paul gets down to “brass tacks” on the essentials of daily living that set us apart for God. He sums it up in a three-step progression that culminates in godliness: (i) choosing to love one another sincerely; (ii) practising Jesus’ teachings so that we reject all forms of evil; and (iii) clinging to, or entering a close relationship with, what is good.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
The Bible makes several references to love, the most quoted probably being 1 Corinthians 13. In today’s Scripture passage, Paul shares that love must be sincere and demonstrated by our actions. If we fill our lives with acts of love towards others, there will be no room for hatred within us. For Paul, we must choose to love each other sincerely. God calls us to be free—not to use our freedom to indulge the flesh, but to serve one another humbly in love (Gal 5:13), turning away from our sinful nature (5:19–21), and bearing the fruit of God’s Spirit, including love (5:22–23).
Sincere love requires us to “hate what is evil.” From the beginning, we have chosen evil over good, which resulted in our ejection from the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:22–24). By imploring us to “cling to what is good,” Paul advocates that we become attached or devoted to God entirely—to His righteousness and His plan to redeem us from our unrighteousness. God wants us to mirror His image: (i) loving our enemies and doing good to others (Luke 6:27); (ii) forgiving others generously (Matt 18:21–35); (iii) ridding ourselves of malice and deceit (1 Pet 2:1); and (iv) seeking His kingdom and righteousness before all else (Matt 6:33).
EXHORTATION
God loves the entire world (John 3:16), and He wants us to reflect His love by loving each other without guile and hypocrisy (John 13:34–35; cf. Rom 12:10; Gal 5:13; Eph 4:2; 1 Thess 3:12; Heb 10:24; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:11). So, let us love one another sincerely and, in so doing, demonstrate that we are Jesus’ disciples, set apart wholly for God.
PRAYER
Dear God and heavenly Father, we worship and honor You for Your love which You have poured out in our hearts through Your Spirit (Rom 5:5). Help us to become mature like You in our daily lives (Matt 5:48): loving sincerely, rejecting all that is evil, and clinging to what is good in your sight. In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.