Love with genuine Affection

 

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. – Romans 12:9-13 (NLT)

These days everyone is so caught up with their jobs, their careers, their homes, and their ministries, that they don’t have time for themselves let alone others; not even their own parents or children are able to spend quality time with these workaholics. They are just too busy for proper interaction.

The Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 12 is focused on different types of relationships and in verses 9 to 13 he addresses specific issues involving the relationship between believers. He is particularly concerned about the genuineness of the love, care and compassion that is expressed.

In the not-too-distant past, in churches could be found believers who genuinely loved and cared and supported one another but now with all the busyness that has consumed us, genuine love remains a memory.

There was a time when we could take our problems to an elder in church who was willing and able to help in a meaningful way just as James 5:13-16 advises. But now the church itself is referring its members to professional services which may not be what the person really needs.

What has happened to the church and the authenticity of the Christian community life? Sad to say that what Paul was dealing with in his letter to the church in Rome is still an issue thousands of years later – believers exhibiting a façade of love to each other rather than love with genuine affection.

Paul’s solution to this pretence was not avoidance or shying away from the hypocrisy but to pray about it. Going to God in prayer and sacrificing the lack of love or the inability to love sincerely to Him, is the first step toward deliverance.

Ask God to implant, into your heart, the love that you need to show and to share and when you receive His love, you will have enough love to give back to Him and to others. This love, which is an element of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) can only be fulfilled through Spirit’s power.

You see, it’s not our endless religious activities or how well we follow the rules or keep up with the various traditions that truly matter, but our love of God and by extension, others.

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? – 1 John 4:20 (NLT)

God wants our lives and our hearts in intimate, joyful, relationship with Him. This is the only way that we will ever be able to sincerely love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honouring each other. The Christian life is not about pretence and performance, it’s not about the religious machinery and rituals done by rote, it’s living out of the ever-present availability and sufficiency of God’s grace (see 2 Corinthians 12:9).

Too many of us are “in” but not “all in”. Giving to others from your physical substance is just as spiritual a sacrifice. Pouring yourself out for God includes pouring yourself out for others and this is not just pouring yourself out for your church family but for your blood relatives – your father, your mother, your siblings and anyone else who is a member of your family. All whom you seem to not consider as needing your love, genuine affection and honour, especially your parents.

“Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise – Ephesians 6:2 (NLT) [see also Exodus 20:12]

Beloved, Jesus is our example to follow. He valued people, loved all people, never avoided the less desirable, He showed kindness, affection and accepted people as they were.

The Apostle Paul urged the believers in Rome to live their lives in service to God and each other. In that same way, he is urging us to do likewise, but it's not enough just to serve; God wants you and me to serve in love with genuine affection.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Love with genuine Affection” © 2026 July 23, 2026