A week ago I got a new bible, it is called The Voice. I have been reading some of my favorite passages in it and reflecting on the verbiage as it expounds on things in a different way then the wording in the other translations I use [New King James, Gods Word and Today's New Living Translation] and that I am used to.
Romans 12:9
Love others well, and don't hide behind a mask; love authentically. Despise evil; pursue what is good as if your life depends on it.
v10 Live in true devotion to one another, loving each other as sisters and brothers. Be first to honor others by putting them first.
v11 Do not slack in your faithfulness and hard work. Let your spirit be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over as you serve the Lord.
v12 Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer.
v13 Share what you have with the saints, so they lack nothing; take every opportunity to open your life and home to others.
The lines that stuck out to me the most that I have been doing reflecting on are:
Love others well, and don't hide behind a mask; love authentically.
Wow. Love well. What does that mean? To do something well usually means with excellence, great skill, thoroughly. What does that mean to not hide behind a mask? Another wards be real, don't hide your identity, or have a pretense. So in a nutshell: Be real in your love and love thoroughly.
Let your spirit be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over as you serve the Lord.
What does that mean? Be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over? Fire is light and warmth. To bubble up and boil over I take that to mean overflow or burst forth, unable to repress, with full force. So in a nutshell: In a spirit of light and warmth burst forth and overflow as you serve the Lord.
[if you are interested in more information on this version, visit www.hearthevoice.com]
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