Minding Your Menu:
Being Authentic

Scripture Reading:  Romans 12:10-13

Key Verse: Romans 12:9

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Soft addictions such as internet abuse, iPhones, iPads, and HDTV all have one thing in common:  They tend to keep us in surface relationships.  We all have surface relationships; those where we share small talk, but no more.  Our modern technological gizmos can become substitutes for the deeper and richer relationships God wants us to enjoy.  Go into any restaurant and watch families relate as they eat their meal.  More times than not, the kids will have some type of personal phone they are texting on or games they are playing on their DS.  Rather than spending those few moments interacting with each other, they are miles apart from each other—in their own little world.

            Our printed key verse says: “Love must be sincere.”  Authentic love moves beyond the small talk and gets real with the people around us.  Authentic conversations can be so refreshing as we actually share the deeper hungers of our lives.  Being authentic means that you are willing to be real about some desires, hurts, or habits that exist in your life.  Once you are willing to say that out loud, others around you will be emboldened to get real themselves.  Before long, you are having deep meaningful conversations—a rarity these days, unfortunately.

            The apostle follows verse nine’s instructions with “be devoted to one another,” in verse 10.  Let’s be authentic in our relationships.

Father, I want my love to grow in this area of depth and authenticity.  Grant me the courage to trust your Word.  In Jesus’  Name, Amen.