A Grace-Shaped Life: Romans 9-16Sample

The Ripple Effect

Let love be genuine. (Romans 12:9)

One of our kids’ favorite summer activities was dropping rocks in the still waters of Prentiss Bay on Lake Huron’s north shore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We’d find large rocks, throw them straight into the water, and watch the ripples travel far beyond the initial drop. That’s how Paul envisions the effects of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit. Romans 12:1-2 invites us to present our bodies as living sacrifices of worship to God. This plunge into a life of worshiping God ripples out into all our relationships and activities in ever-expanding concentric circles.

Today’s passage gives the first two ripples: our life in our church (vs. 3–8) and our life in our community (vs. 14–21). The theme for both is characterized by a love that is “genuine” (vs. 9), literally, “unfaked.” You can not fake this kind of love. It only ripples from a life that is being transformed. In our churches, this kind of love ripples out as we use our gifts to serve, not for our egos (vs. 3), but because we belong to each other (vs. 4–5). As our physical body needs all its members to thrive, the members of our local churches need one another to flourish.

In our communities, genuine love’s ripple shows up as we bless our enemies, walk with our neighbors in all circumstances, treat people honorably, and seek to live peaceable lives (vs. 14–18). Imagine a community where transformed believers are loved like that. How far would the ripples go?

As you pray, ask God to multiply the ripples in your life.