Love in Action - Romans 12:15

We’re down to the last two weeks of our 8-week Love in Action Series, and thankfully, this week’s passage is (in my opinion) a much easier ask than last week’s.

Paul exhorts the Christians in Rome to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. Unlike last week’s instructions to bless those who persecute you, which seemed to run counter to human nature, empathizing with others in times of joy and grief feels much more instinctual.

From the dawn of humanity, we were created to be in relationships. First, there was the relationship between God and man, through which God quickly determined it wasn’t good for man to be alone, so He created woman as a companion for him. The Book of Proverbs is full of scriptures pointing to the value of relationships and describing godly friends and partners.

But at times, it can be harder to match the joy of others due to our own conflicting emotions or conditions. Sometimes jealousy or deep longing is at play--someone got the scholarship, job, promotion, significant other, baby, car, lifestyle, etc. that you wanted. In those times, prayer can be a lifeline to which we can cling.

Talking it through with God can help us process our feelings. It often provides the peace required to let go of our unmet expectations, allowing us to be genuinely happy for others--even in the midst of our own disappointment. God created us with an ingrained ability to empathize with one another over loss. We don’t have to know the deceased or even those in mourning to still feel pangs of their loss. This ability to show compassion for others is one of the ways in which we were made in God’s image.

Scriptures in which God the Father and Jesus the Son show compassion are plentiful! When we lean into relationships by rejoicing or mourning with others in their times of joy or tribulation, we practice love in action!

Join us next week, when we’ll close out the final week of our “Love in Action” series from Romans 12:9-16!

PS—Want to keep this verse with you all week long? Take a screenshot of the image above (or download it) to use as your lock screen!