Thrive Creative Journaling Devotional Bible - Flipbook - Page 31
page 1413 . . . ROMANS
you are honorable. 18Do all that you can to
live in peace with everyone.
19Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave
that to the righteous anger of God. For the
Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”*
says the Lord.
20Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them
something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their
heads.”*
21Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil
by doing good.
Respect for Authority
Everyone must submit to governing
authorities. For all authority comes
from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling
against what God has instituted, and they
will be punished. 3For the authorities do not
strike fear in people who are doing right, but
in those who are doing wrong. Would you
like to live without fear of the authorities?
Do what is right, and they will honor you.
4The authorities are God’s servants, sent for
your good. But if you are doing wrong, of
course you should be afraid, for they have
the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing
those who do what is wrong. 5So you must
submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.
6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be
paid. They are serving God in what they do.
7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay
your taxes and government fees to those
who collect them, and give respect and
honor to those who are in authority.
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Love Fulfills God’s Requirements
8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your
obligation to love one another. If you love
your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9For the commandments
say, “You must not commit adultery. You
must not murder. You must not steal. You
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must not covet.”* These—and other such
commandments—are summed up in this
one commandment: “Love your neighbor as
yourself.”* 10Love does no wrong to others,
so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.
11This is all the more urgent, for you know
how late it is; time is running out. Wake up,
for our salvation is nearer now than when
we first believed. 12The night is almost gone;
the day of salvation will soon be here. So
remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes,
and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we
must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t
participate in the darkness of wild parties
and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity
and immoral living, or in quarreling and
jealousy. 14Instead, clothe yourself with the
presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t
let yourself think about ways to indulge your
evil desires.
The Danger of Criticism
Accept other believers who are weak
in faith, and don’t argue with them
about what they think is right or wrong.
2 For instance, one person believes it’s all
right to eat anything. But another believer
with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3Those who feel free to eat anything
must not look down on those who don’t.
And those who don’t eat certain foods must
not condemn those who do, for God has
accepted them. 4Who are you to condemn
someone else’s servants? Their own master
will judge whether they stand or fall. And
with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.
5 In the same way, some think one day is
more holy than another day, while others
think every day is alike. You should each
be fully convinced that whichever day you
choose is acceptable. 6Those who worship
the Lord on a special day do it to honor
him. Those who eat any kind of food do so
to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to
God before eating. And those who refuse
to eat certain foods also want to please the
Lord and give thanks to God. 7For we don’t
live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8If we
live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s
to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die,
we belong to the Lord. 9Christ died and rose
again for this very purpose—to be Lord both
of the living and of the dead.
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12:19 Deut 32:35. 12:20 Prov 25:2122. 13:9a Exod 20:1315, 17. 13:9b Lev 19:18.
