Romans 12 is all about how to live as a follower of Christ. This is a playbook, a guide that we can turn to for wise advice. Starting at verse 9, Paul brings home the application...the challenging part is, this is relatively easy to read, a little more complicated to live out. 

Here are just a few titles to this section of Scripture. It drives home what we are reading today:

• Love in Action - NIV

• Transformed Relationships - TPT

• Rules for Christian Living - CEV

• Marks of a True Christian - ESV

• Behave Like a Christian - NKJV

“Let the inner movement of your heart always be to love one another...” Romans 12:9a‬ ‭TPT‬‬

What better way to start this section, the section focused on living out our transformation, modeling Christ, behaving the appropriate way, than starting with Love. 

There should be no surprise that the critical focus around living out our walk as a Christian is centered on love. This is why I permanently marked my body with “Love God, Love Others” on my right arm. This is my visual reminder of this simple yet complex reality. This goes back to the law set out for us by Moses in Deuteronomy as well as Leviticus. 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” -‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This crucial and centering verse from the law points us back to the opening of Romans 12:1 - offering ourselves as a living sacrifice, our true expression of worship to God. This is loving with all our heart and all our soul and strength. Pouring it out to God. 

Then we shift to Jesus words in the Gospels. The greatest commandment(s). The one, two punch that Paul is continuing to hammer home. Check out Jesus words here in Matthew, Luke, and Mark. 

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:36-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” -‭‭Luke‬ ‭10:25-27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” - ‭‭Mark‬ ‭12:28-31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There are no greater commandments than these - all the law and the Prophets hang on these two. Go back and read all of Romans 12, soak it in and let it penetrate your soul and Spirit today. Are these words from Paul describing your walk? It’s my prayer that all of us who call ourselves Christians aspire to live our lives, as Paul describes. May our lives be filled with love, bringing hope, joy, and peace that transforms our home, neighborhoods, communities, cities, states, nations, and the world.