Romans 12:10
10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
What does being part of the church look like? It can get really bad. There’s a version of church that looks way more like a contest to see who can seem the most put together. It’s not about who can be most godly, but surface-level stuff like how good your kids act for 65 minutes, how snappy your outfit is, and how broad your smile can be. It becomes a battle between one proud dude who bumps chests with pristine exterior of the next more-put-together-than-you dude. Who wants that?
Paul is describing a church where the opposite takes place. A family that has true affection for each other, where each member delights to see the other lifted up. Imagine a place where people were ecstatic to see you do well, to jump on your success and celebrate them with true joy and to sit by you in your failures with genuine care and affection. That’s what God’s love does in a place. Find that church and plug in.
Prayer prompt: Lord, help me to be so aware of Your love that I can show honor to others without all the competition.