While we are to think of others, we are to think of ourselves also. Herbert Spencer has contrasted the "religion of enmity," or the religion of heathenism, with what he calls the "religion of amity," or the religion of Christianity. But he speaks as if the Christian precept was, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour better than thyself." It is not so. The command is, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

"To thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man." The apostle enumerates some duties which the Christian owes to himself.

I. DILIGENCE IN BUSINESS. Each man should have some definite work or business in life. Especially should the Christian be free from the sin of idleness. Whatever our work is, let us be diligent in the performance of it. "The hand of the diligent maketh rich." "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."

II. EARNESTNESS OF SPIRIT. "Fervent in spirit." It is a strong phrase. Fervent means "burning," "on fire." Yes, we need more Christians who are on fire. It is the enthusiasts who have done the best and most lasting work in the world. They are usually called fanatics at first, but the day comes when their memory is blessed. St. Paul was a fanatic to Festus. Festus could not understand the fire that burned in Paul's heart and in his words. "Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning cloth make thee mad." William Wilberforce, the emancipator of the slaves; John Howard, the prisoner's friend; Samuel Plimsoll, the sailor's friend; Lord Shaftesbury, the friend of the overworked artisan; - all these men at first were sneered at and ridiculed by the multitude of indifferent and interested men. Earnestness and enthusiasm may be incomprehensible to the world, but they are indispensable to the true Christian.

III. A RELIGIOUS SPIRIT. "Serving the Lord." That spirit consecrates life, sweetens life, saves life. Serving the Lord does not lead us to the drunkard's degradation, the disgrace of the dishonest or fraudulent, the cell of the murderer or the grave of the suicide. The Christian will serve the Lord in every relationship of life - in his home, in his business, in his amusements. Can we all say as St. Paul did (Acts 27:23), "Whose I am, and whom I serve"?

IV. HOPEFULNESS AND JOY. "Rejoicing in hope." The apostle elsewhere in this Epistle uses the same phrase, "And rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2). Dr. Chalmers has somewhere said, "That which distinguishes wisdom from folly is the power and habit of anticipation." The Saviour himself, in his earthly life, was sustained by the hope of what lay beyond. "Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross" (Hebrews 12:2). So it was with St. Paul. He looked forward to the crown of righteousness. Therefore the Christian should be full of joyousness. Why should we groan under life's heavy burdens when we think of the rest that remaineth to the people of God? Why should we be unduly distressed by life's trials when we remember that they that are tried shall receive the crown of life? This, too, is a duty the Christian owes to himself. Work becomes no longer a burden when it is done with hopefulness and joy.

V. PATIENCE UNDER TROUBLE. "Patient in tribulation." The true Christian will know how to suffer. He knows that trials have their meaning and their place in the discipline of the children of God. He knows that whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and that "though no chastisement for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous, nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby."

VI. PERSEVERANCE IN PRAYER. "Continuing instant in prayer." Prayer is the beginning and the end of the Christian life. We should ever go forth to the discharge of our duties, humbly asking for the Divine guidance and the Divine help. And then, when the duties are performed, we should not forget to pray that the Divine blessing should follow the work that we have done. This thought is well brought out by St. Paul in his description of the Christian's armour (Ephesians 6:11-18). Having exhorted his readers to put on the whole armour of God - the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit - he adds, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." This is the fitting climax of the whole. It is the fitting conclusion of any exhortation about Christian warfare or Christian work. "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it." Such, then, are the Christian's duties to himself. Diligence. Earnestness. Religious spirit. Hopefulness. Patience. Prayerfulness. Let us cultivate them. - C.H.I.

I. THE SOURCE OF THIS JOY — Hope.

1. Glorious.

2. Certain.

II. ITS NATURE.

1. Sweet.

2. Solid.

3. Spiritual.

4. Purifying.

III. ITS EXPRESSION.

1. Lively.

2. Practical.

3. Constant.

IV. ITS IMPORTANCE to —

1. Ourselves.

2. The Church.

3. The world.

(J. Lyth, D.D.)

1. Hope is an instinct of the soul. "Thou didst make me to hope when I was upon my mother's breasts." As an instinct —(1) It implies the existence of a prospective good, and the possibility of coming into its possession.(2) It is one of the strongest and most operative forces in our nature. Hesiod tells us, that the miseries of all mankind were included in a great box, and that Pandora's husband took off the lid, by which means all of them came abroad, but hope remained still at the bottom,

2. The real worth of this instinct to man depends upon the direction it takes.(1) "Wrongly directed, it is a fawning traitor of the mind." The goodly scenes it spreads out to the soul turn out to be a mere mirage. False hopes are like meteors that brighten the skies of the soul for a moment, only to leave the gloom more intense. They are mere blossoms on fruitless trees, pleasing the eye for the hour, then fading away and rotting into dust. Few things are more distressing than the loss of hope. Longfellow compares it to the "setting of the sun." Solomon speaks of it as "the giving up of the ghost."(2) Rightly directed, is among the chiefest of our blessings. It is that which gives sunshine to the sky, beauty to the landscape, and music to life. Such is the hope of which the apostle here speaks. Two things are essential to a "joyous hope."

I. A RIGHT OBJECT.

1. It must not —(1) Be selfish. So constituted is the soul, that the hope that is directed exclusively to its own happiness never satisfies. Down deep in the soul is the feeling that man has to live for something greater and nobler than himself.(2) Be incapable of engaging all our powers.(3) Less lasting than its own existence. Man can never be fully happy whose hope is directed to the transient and the dying.

2. That which will give a joyous hope is moral goodness — assimilation to the image of God.

II. A CERTAIN FOUNDATION. Unless a man has good reason to believe that the object he hopes for is to be gained, he cannot rejoice in his hope. Three reasons for believing that a soul, guilty and depraved, can be brought into possession of true goodness, and restored to the very image of God, are —

1. The provisions of the gospel. The life and death of Christ, the agency of the Spirit, and the disciplinary influences of human life are all divinely appointed methods to re-create the soul and to fashion it into the very image of God.

2. The biographies of sainted men. History abounds with examples of bad men becoming good.

3. The inward consciousness of moral progress. The man who has got this hope is conscious that he has made some progress, and that the steps he has taken have been the most difficult. His past efforts are aids and pledges to future success.

(D. Thomas, D.D.)

Patient in tribulation. —

I. WHAT ARE TRIBULATIONS? What-soever —

1. Is hurtful to us.

2. Vexeth us.

II. WHAT IS IT TO BE PATIENT?

1. Not to murmur against God (Exodus 16:3).

2. Nor despair of deliverance (Psalm 42:5).

3. Nor use unlawful means to get out of them.

4. To rest satisfied with them (1 Samuel 3:18).

5. To be thankful for them (Job 1:21, 22; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

III. WHY ARE WE TO BE PATIENT?

1. They come from God (2 Samuel 16:10-12; Psalm 39:2).

2. Are no more (Lamentations 3:39), but less than we deserve (Ezra 9:13).

3. Impatience does not heighten them.

4. By patience we change them into mercies as in Job, Joseph, David.Conclusion: Be patient.

1. No afflictions but others have borne (1 Peter 4:12; 1 Peter 5:9).

2. Christ has undergone more than we can (Romans 8:29; 1 Peter 2:23; 1 Peter 4:13).

3. God knows how to deliver us (2 Peter 2:9).

4. By patience you make a virtue of necessity.

5. Will do you much good by them (Hebrews 12:6-8).

(Bp. Beveridge.)

I. TRIBULATION IS UNAVOIDABLE IN THIS LIFE.

1. Ordained of God.

2. For wise purposes.

II. SHOULD BE BORNE WITH PATIENCE.

1. Not indifference.

2. But in silence.

3. Without repining.

4. With resignation.

III. THE REASONS.

1. God is kind.

2. Life is but a probationary state.

3. Consolations are provided.

4. The results are glorious.

(J. Lyth, D.D.)

Some have floated on the sea, and trouble carried them on its surface, as the sea carries cork. Some have sunk at once to the bottom, as foundering ships sink. Some have run away from their own thoughts. Some have coiled themselves up in stoical indifference. Some have braved the trouble, and defied it. Some have carried it, as a tree does a wound, until by new wood it can overgrow and cover the old gash. A few in every age have known the divine art of carrying sorrow and trouble as wonderful food, as an invisible garment that clothed them with strength, as a mysterious joy, so that they suffered gladly, rejoicing in infirmity, and, holding up their heads with sacred presages whenever times were dark and troublous, let the light depart from their eyes, that they might by faith see nobler things than sight could reach.

(H. W. Beecher.)

All birds when they are first caught and put into the cage fly wildly up and down, and beat themselves against their little prisons; but within two or three days sit quietly on their perch, and sing their usual notes with their usual melody. So it fares with us, when God first brings us into a strait; we wildly flutter up and down, and beat and tire ourselves with striving to get free; but at length custom and experience will make our narrow confinement spacious enough for us; and though our feet should be in the stocks, yet shall we, with the apostles, be able even there to sing praises to our God.

(Bp. Hopkins.)

Continuing instant in prayer. —

I. WHAT IS PRAYER?

1. The hearty desire.

(1)Mental (1 Samuel 1:13; Ephesians 5:10).

(2)Oral (John 17:5).

2. Of necessary things.(1) Spiritual, for the life to come.

(a)Sense of sin (Luke 13:3).

(b)Faith in Christ (Luke 17:5).

(c)Pardon of former transgressions (Psalm 51:9).

(d)Subduing present corruptions (Psalm 19:12, 13; Psalm 119:133).

(e)The continual influences of His grace and spirit (Psalm 51:10; Luke 11:13).(2) Temporal, for this life (1 Timothy 4:8; Proverbs 30:8).

3. From God.

(1)God alone is to be worshipped (Matthew 4:10).

(2)God alone understands our prayers (Isaiah 63:16).

(3)He alone can answer them (Psalm 65:2).

(4)He commands us to call to Him (Jeremiah 33:3; Psalm 1:15).

(5)Christ directs us to pray to Him (Matthew 6:9).See the error of Papists, who pray to the Cross. To the Virgin Mary, etc. St. Roche for the plague. St. Apollonia for the toothache. St. Eulogius for horses. St. Anthony for hogs. St. Gallus for geese, etc.

II. WHY SHOULD WE PRAY?

1. God hath commanded it (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

2. Encouraged us with a promise (Psalm 1:15; Matthew 7:7).

3. Made it the condition of all promises (Ezekiel 36:37).

4. It is part of Divine worship.

5. Hereby we give glory to God.

(1)Of omnipresence (Psalm 139:2, 3).

(2)Of omniscience (Psalm 139:7).

(3)Of omnipotence.

6. All blessings are sanctified by it (1 Timothy 4:5).

7. Only by this we acknowledge our dependence upon Him.

III. HOW SHOULD WE PRAY.

1. Before prayer, consider (Psalm 10:17).

(1)Who is it you go to pray to (Exodus 34:6).

(2)What you have to pray for (1 John 5:14).

(3)How unworthy you are to ask or receive (Genesis 32:10).

(4)That Christ is interceding for you (Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 7:25).

2. In prayer.

(1)Pray with that humility, reverence, and submission, as becomes a sinful creature (Genesis 18:27; Luke 18:13; Ezra 9:6).

(2)Utter nothing rashly before Him, nor mingle stories with petitions (Ecclesiastes 5:1, 2).

(3)Let every petition proceed from the heart (John 4:24).

(4)Pray only in the name of Christ (John 14:13, 14; John 16:23; Hebrews 7:25).

(5)Let your affections and apprehensions go together (1 Corinthians 14:15).

(6)Pray in faith (Mark 11:24; James 1:6).

(7)Without wrath (1 Timothy 2:8; Matthew 6:14, 15).

(8)For others as well as for yourselves (1 Timothy 2:1; Ephesians 6:18).

(9)To the right end (James 4:3).

(10)Add praise to prayers (Philippians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:1).

(a)Praising God is all that He expects for His mercies.

(b)It is the best sacrifice we can offer (Psalm 69:30, 31).

(c)It is the work of Heaven (Revelation 7:9, 10; Revelation 19:1).

3. After prayer.

(1)Consider what you have prayed for.

(2)Expect it (Psalm 5:3).

(3)Use means for obtaining it.

IV. WHEN SHOULD WE PRAY? Or how continue instant in prayer (Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

1. Be always in a praying frame.

2. Take all occasions of praying.

3. Never faint in prayer (Luke 18:1; 2 Corinthians 12:8, 9).

4. Make prayer your daily exercise.

(1)We must serve God daily (Luke 1:75).

(2)The sacrifices of the Old Testament were daily (Numbers 28:3; Acts 3:1).

(3)Christ directs us to ask our daily bread (Matthew 6:11, 33).

(4)The saints in all ages prayed daily (Psalm 55:17; Psalm 119:164; Daniel 6:10; 1 Kings 8:48; Luke 2:37).

(5)The heathen and the Turks do it.

(6)We need daily mercies.

(7)We receive them.

5. Objection. I have oft prayed, but am never heard (Job 21:15).

(1)However, we are bound to serve God.

(2)If we get no good it is our own fault.

(a)As to the matter (1 John 5:14).

(b)Means (James 1:6).

(c)End, of prayer (James 4:3).(3) Perhaps you never expected it.

(4)Or have not used the right means for it.

(5)You have not prayed long enough (

Prayer is the natural duty of religion. Its observance is as natural as conversation between men. The Scriptures urge a constant and careful performance, then, not only as a duty, but a privilege. The subject suggests an inquiry as to —

I. THE MATTER AND SUBJECT OF PRAYER.

1. Generally, it is to petition God to bestow upon us all that is good, and to deliver us from all that is evil: the pursuit of virtue, the direction of our affairs, immortal happiness.

2. Particularly, our own individual requirements, according to our particular weaknesses and difficulties, should form the groundwork of our petitions.

II. THE SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS OF THE APOSTLE — "Continuing instant." We are not to make it a mere formal duty. It is to be the constant effort and breath of our very existence. We are hereby taught —

1. That worldly duties are not inconsistent with heavenly thoughts.

2. That God may be worshipped at all times.

3. That religion is not a thing to be put off till we have leisure and opportunity.

III. THE CONTRAST WHICH THIS DIRECTION AFFORDS TO ALL FALSE SYSTEMS. We are taught that God is worshipped by the mind and thoughts, and not by external observances. How different to heathen worship! Even the Jews' religion was, to a great extent, formal.

(J. Jortin, D.D.)

When a pump is frequently used, but little pains are necessary to have water; the water pours out at the first stroke, because it is high. But if the pump has not been used for a long while, the water gets low, and when you want it you must pump a long while, and the water comes only after great efforts. It is so with prayer; if we are instant in prayer, every little circumstance awakens the disposition to pray, and desires and words are always ready. But if we neglect prayer it is difficult for us to pray; for the water in the well gets low.

(Felix Neff.)

doesn't exactly mean that we should be praying every instant, though we can be doing that also, but not if we are to think a prayer, or speak a prayer, for how could we then be getting on with other things that need all our attention at the time? But there are prayers that are not spoken or even thought of. You have seen the mariner's compass. When the ship is tossing about, the compass trembles and swings to and fro, but it always comes back and points straight to the north. That's where it wants to go to; every time it points to the north it seems to pray, "Let me go there!" Now why is this needle so constant about this wish to go northward? Because it has got in it a spirit that belongs to the distant Pole, and so, even while it is busy in telling the sailors how to steer, it is itself always turning to the north, because its life lies that way. So we may be very busy about other things, and need to fix all our attention upon them; but if our heart is right with Jesus, we shall be always wanting to do things for His sake, and do them right; and that big wish that is always in the heart is a continual prayer.

(J. R. Howat.)

I. THE IMPORT OF THE INJUNCTION. This is indicated by the employment of the word in other Scriptures (e.g., Acts 1:14; Acts 2:42; Romans 13:6; Acts 8:13; Acts 10:7; Ephesians 6:18). These show the meaning of the word; steadfastness or perseverance as a habit. In this sense the passage has many parallels (Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). In the widest sense, therefore, the injunction lays upon us —

1. The habitual maintenance of a prayerful spirit.

2. The embracing of opportunities for prayer.

3. The improvement of occasions of prayer. You will find these everywhere, in the commonest experiences of every day.

4. Watchfulness.

II. CONSIDERATIONS BY WHICH THE INJUNCTION MAY BE COMMENDED AND ENFORCED.

1. What a mighty power of restraint would such an "instancy of prayer" exercise!

2. What a spiritual elevation!

3. What peace amid conflicting cares!

4. What strength!

(J. M. Jarvie.)

As those who keep clocks wind them up daily, lest the weights should run down, and the clock stop; so we must set apart some portion of every day for meditation and prayer, lest our hearts should so far descend, through the weight of the cares of this world, that our course in godliness should be hindered and stopped.

(Cawdray.)

For so I have seen a lark rising from his bed of grass and soaring upwards, singing as he rises, and hopes to get to heaven, and climb above the clouds; but the poor bird was beaten back with the loud sighings of an eastern wind, and his motion made irregular and inconstant, descending more at every breath of the tempest than it could recover by the liberation and frequent weighing of his wings, till the little creature was forced to sit down and pant, and stay till the storm was over; and then it made a prosperous flight, and did rise and sing, as if it had learned music and motion from an angel, as he passed sometimes through the air about his ministries here below. So is the prayer of a good man.

(Jeremy Taylor.)

It is said of that good old man, John Quincy Adams, that he never went to his rest at night until he had repeated the simple prayer learned in childhood — the familiar "Now, I lay me down to sleep."

I. WHAT IS HERE REQUIRED?

1. Continuance in personal and secret prayer primarily. In these times Christ's saying is reversed. Men seem to say, If you pray openly, the Father will reward you in secret. And if a man have a taste for prayer meetings and none for private prayer, he should give up the prayer meetings until he recover the taste for secret prayer.

2. Paul speaks of continuance in the sense of importunity and perseverance. "Instant," means earnest, pressing, and urgent. The precept implies the danger of non-continuance — of a lack of earnestness and urgency. Now this danger arises from —(1) Scepticism about prayer. Men are often tempted to ask, "What profit shall we have if we pray to Him?" Then we may be beset by unbelief as to God's hearing our prayers in particular.(2) Indifference. Men do not care to pray. There is no very pressing want; no very urgent danger. The man is looking simply on the surface of his life.

II. WHY IS THIS REQUIREMENT MADE? Habitual prayer —

1. Keeps in habitual exercise the first principles of our religious life, etc. You cannot pray without bringing into exercise faith, trust, hope, and love. Now these principles are not intended to be within us like gems in a casket, but are like muscles. Work them, and they will be strengthened; give them nothing to do, and they will shrink, and when you want them, they will not be in a state to serve you.

2. Keeps a man face to face with God. This is the right position. We never see any matter as we ought to see it, except we look God in the face about it.

3. Recognises the two great blessings of the Christian economy. And what are these?

(1)The mediation of Christ.

(2)The ministration of the Holy Ghost.

4. Is the constant use of the highest agency which Christians can employ. What has prayer done? Conquered the elements, healed the diseased, restored life, etc. Prayer moves the band which moves the world.

5. Is second only to ceaseless praise in the loftiness and in the sacredness of the habit.

6. Is in harmony with God's present method of government. The basis of that government is atonement, i.e., an embodied supplication for mercy.

(S. Martin.)

Fletcher's whole life was a life of prayer; and so intensely was his mind fixed upon God that he sometimes said, "I would not move from my seat without lifting up my heart to God." "Wherever we met," says Mr. Vaughan, "if we were alone, his first salute was, 'Do I meet you praying?' And if we were talking on any point of divinity, when we were in the depth of our discourse he would often break off abruptly and ask, 'Where are our hearts now?' If ever the misconduct of an absent person was mentioned, his usual reply was, 'Let us pray for him.'"

I. INSTANT. The Greek word means "always applying strength in prayer"; "blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee." Brooks saith that the word is a metaphor taken from hunting dogs, which will never give up the game till they have got it. Prevalent prayer is frequently spoken of in Scripture as an agony — "striving together with me in your prayers," and as "wrestling." We must go with our whole soul to God or He will not accept us. We are to pray as if all depended upon our praying. How are we to attain to this urgency?

1. Let us study the value of the mercy which we are seeking at God's hand. Whatever it is that thou art asking for, it is no trifle. If it be a doubtful thing, lay it aside: but if thou art certain that the blessing sought is good and necessary, examine it as a goldsmith inspects a jewel when he wishes to estimate its worth.

2. Meditate on thy necessities. See thy soul's poverty and undeservingness. Look at what will happen to thee unless this blessing come.

3. Endeavour to get a distinct consciousness of the fact that God must give thee this blessing, or thou wilt never have it.

4. Eagerly desire the good thing. Stand not before God as one who will be content whether or no. There are times when you must say, "I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me."

5. Now comes the tug of war; you are to plead with all your might. Gather up all your faculties to see whether this thing be a matter of promise or no. When you have found the promise, plead it by saying, "Lord, do as Thou hast said." If you do not seem to prevail with one promise seek out another and another, and then plead, "For Thy name's sake, for Thy truth's sake, for Thy covenant's sake"; and then come in with the greatest plea of all, "For Jesus' sake."

6. Still there is one thing more wanted, and that is strong faith. You cannot be instant in prayer, nay, you cannot offer an acceptable prayer at all except as you believe in the prayer-hearing God.

II. CONSTANT — "continuing." Go back to the hunting dog. We saw him rushing like the wind after his game, but this will not be enough if it only lasts for a little; he must continue running if he is to catch his prey. It is a sign of failure in the iron trade when the furnaces are blown out; when business flourishes the fire blazes both day and night; and so will it be with prayer when the soul is in a flourishing state. If prayer be the Christian's vital breath, how can he leave off praying? "That is difficult," says one. Who said it was not? All the processes of the Christian life are difficult; but "the Spirit helpeth our infirmities." Prayer must be continuous, because —

1. It is so singularly mixed up with the whole gospel dispensation.

2. It is connected with every covenant blessing.

3. It has been connected with every living spiritual experience you have ever had.

4. There is no time when we can afford to slacken prayer.

5. Such remarkable gifts are vouchsafed to importunity.

6. The continuance of our instancy in prayer is the test of the reality of our devotion. Earnest men of business cannot afford to open the shop and do a little occasional trade, and then put up a notice, "The proprietor of this shop has gone out for an excursion, and will resume his business when he feels inclined to." Beware of spasms of prayer.

III. EXPECTANT. It is not in the text verbally, but it must be there really, because there will be no such thing as instancy or constancy unless there is an expectation that God can and will give that which we seek. Go back to our dog again: he would not run at so great a rate if he did not expect to seize his prey. If some people looked out for answers to prayer they might soon have them, for their prayers would be answered by themselves. I was reminded of that by a little boy whose father prayed in the family that the Lord would visit the poor and relieve their wants. When he had finished, his little boy said, "Father, I wish I had your money." "Why so?" "Because," he said, " I would answer your prayers for you." I like better still that story of the good man at the prayer-meeting, who reading the list of prayers found one for a poor widow that her distress might be relieved, so he began to read it, but stopped and added, "We won't trouble the Lord with that, I will attend to that myself." The Lord might well say to us, "Thou sayest, Thy kingdom come; arise and help to make My kingdom come!" I shall close by recommending to all of you one simple but very comprehensive prayer. It was offered by a poor man in Fife, and it was copied out by the Duchess of Gordon, and found among her papers when she died. "O Lord, give me grace to feel my need of Thy grace! Give me grace to ask for Thy grace! Give me grace to receive Thy grace! And when in Thy grace Thou hast given me grace, give me grace to use Thy grace!"

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

Paul, RomansRomeAffliction, Constant, Continuing, Devoted, Earnest, Enduring, Faithful, Full, Glad, Hope, Instant, Joyful, Patient, Persecution, Persevering, Persistent, Prayer, Quiet, Regards, Rejoice, Rejoicing, Steadfastly, Stedfastly, Tribulation, Trouble, Troubles1. God's mercies must move us to offer ourselves.
3. No man must think too well of himself;
6. but everyone attend to the calling wherein he is placed.
9. Love, and many other duties are required of us.
19. Revenge is especially forbidden.

Romans 12:12

     2039   Christ, joy of
     2060   Christ, patience of
     5914   optimism
     8203   character
     8251   faithfulness, to God
     8289   joy, of church
     8318   patience
     8459   perseverance
     8613   prayer, persistence
     8619   prayer, in church
     8620   prayer, practicalities
     9612   hope, in God
     9613   hope, as confidence
     9615   hope, results of

Romans 12:9-21

     6690   mercy, response to God's

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Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

April 6. "As we have Many Members in one Body, So we Being Many are one Body in Christ" (Rom. xii. 4, 5).
"As we have many members in one body, so we being many are one body in Christ" (Rom. xii. 4, 5). Sometimes our communion with God is cut off, or interrupted because of something wrong with a brother, or some lack of unity in the body of Christ. We try to get at the Lord, but we cannot, because we are separated from some member of the Lord's body, or because there is not the freedom of His love flowing through every organic part. It does not need a blow upon the head to paralyze the brain; a blow …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

First Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Romans 12, 1-6. 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Second Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Romans 12, 6-16. 6 And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; 7 or ministry, let us give ourselves to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching; 8 or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting; he that giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Third Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Romans 12, 16-21. 16 Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. 19 Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. 20 But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Sunday Before Lent
Text: First Corinthians 13. 1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

November the Twenty-Eighth How to Fight Evil
"Overcome evil with good." --ROMANS xii. 9-21. For how else can we cast out evil? Satan cannot cast out Satan. No one can clean a room with a filthy duster. The surgeon cannot cut out the disease if his instruments are defiled. While he removed one ill-growth he would sow the seed of another. It must be health which fights disease. It will demand a good temper to overcome the bad temper in my brother. And therefore I must cultivate a virtue if I would eradicate a vice. That applies to the state …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

The Sacrifice of the Body
'I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.'--ROMANS xii. 1. In the former part of this letter the Apostle has been building up a massive fabric of doctrine, which has stood the waste of centuries, and the assaults of enemies, and has been the home of devout souls. He now passes to speak of practice, and he binds the two halves of his letter indissolubly together by that significant …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

A Triplet of Graces
'Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.'--ROMANS xii. 11. Paul believed that Christian doctrine was meant to influence Christian practice; and therefore, after the fundamental and profound exhibition of the central truths of Christianity which occupies the earlier portion of this great Epistle, he tacks on, with a 'therefore' to his theological exposition, a series of plain, practical teachings. The place where conduct comes in the letter is profoundly significant, and, if …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

Another Triplet of Graces
'Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.'--ROMANS xii. 12. These three closely connected clauses occur, as you all know, in the midst of that outline of the Christian life with which the Apostle begins the practical part of this Epistle. Now, what he omits in this sketch of Christian duty seems to me quite as significant as what he inserts. It is very remarkable that in the twenty verses devoted to this subject, this is the only one which refers to the inner secrets …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

Still Another Triplet
'Be of the same mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high things, but condescend to things that are lowly. Be not wise in your own conceits.'--Romans xii. 16 (R.V.). We have here again the same triple arrangement which has prevailed through a considerable portion of the context. These three exhortations are linked together by a verbal resemblance which can scarcely be preserved in translation. In the two former the same verb is employed: and in the third the word for 'wise' is cognate with …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

Transfiguration
'Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.'--ROMANS xii. 2. I had occasion to point out, in a sermon on the preceding verse, that the Apostle is, in this context, making the transition from the doctrinal to the practical part of his letter, and that he lays down broad principles, of which all his subsequent injunctions and exhortations are simply the filling up of the details. …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

Sober Thinking
'For I say, through the grace that is given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.'--ROMANS xii. 3. It is hard to give advice without seeming to assume superiority; it is hard to take it, unless the giver identifies himself with the receiver, and shows that his counsel to others is a law for himself. Paul does so here, led by the delicate perception which …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

Still Another Triplet
'Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.'--ROMANS xii. 13-15. In these verses we pass from the innermost region of communion with God into the wide field of duties in relation to men. The solitary secrecies of rejoicing hope, endurance, and prayer unbroken, are exchanged for the publicities of benevolence and sympathy. In the former verses the Christian …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

Many and One
'For we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.'--ROMANS xii. 4, 5. To Paul there was the closest and most vital connection between the profoundest experiences of the Christian life and its plainest and most superficial duties. Here he lays one of his most mystical conceptions as the very foundation on which to rear the great structure of Christian conduct, and links on to one of …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

Grace and Graces
'Having then gifts, differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7. Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8. Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation; he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.'--ROMANS xii. 6-8. The Apostle here proceeds to build upon the great thought of the unity of believers in the …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

Love that Can Hate
'Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10. In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honour preferring one another.'--ROMANS xii. 9-10 (R.V.). Thus far the Apostle has been laying down very general precepts and principles of Christian morals. Starting with the one all-comprehensive thought of self-sacrifice as the very foundation of all goodness, of transformation as its method, and of the clear knowledge of our several powers …
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

"Members one of Another. "
"So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."--ROMANS xii. 5. There are some moral and spiritual truths which it seems to be almost impossible to impress upon the practical life of the world, although they meet with a sort of universal acceptance. Men agree with them, they re-echo them, they applaud them; they do everything, in fact, but exhibit them as the moving, inspiring, and guiding truths of their daily practice. And among these I fear we must still class …
John Percival—Sermons at Rugby

Constant, Instant, Expectant
Prayer is to be exercised in all things, for from its position in the present context we are taught that it is not without prayer that we proceed to "distribute to the necessities of the saints." Because we have prayed for them we are ready to befriend them by deeds of love. If we have not been accustomed to pray for the brethren, we shall not be "given to hospitality"; much less shall we "bless them which persecute us." prayer is the life-blood of duty, the secret sap of holiness, the fountain of …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 25: 1879

Jowett -- Apostolic Optimism
John Henry Jowett, Congregational divine, was born at Barnard Castle, Durham, in 1864, and educated at Edinburgh and Oxford universities. In 1889 he was ordained to St. James's Congregational Church, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and in 1895 was called to his present pastorate of Carr's Lane Congregational Church, Birmingham, where he has taken rank among the leading preachers of Great Britain. He is the author of several important books. JOWETT Born in 1864 APOSTOLIC OPTIMISM[1] [Footnote 1: Reprinted by permission …
Various—The World's Great Sermons, Volume 10

The True Nonconformist.
A Communion Sermon, Delivered Sept. 16, 1866, In The First Presbyterian Church, Troy, N. Y. Rom. xii, 2. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." By itself, this command is ambiguous. Common sense testifies that, in very many things, every Christian must, more or less, conform to the world. Many of the world's customs are not only harmless, but salutary, beautiful, …
Rev. Marvin R. Vincent.—Amusement: A Force in Christian Training

Second Address.
I beseech yon therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.--ROM. xii. 1,2. I have been thinking about the word in the text, "that"--"that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God." This advance in …
Catherine Booth—Godliness

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