Romans  12:  12-14.   "Rejoicing in  hope;  patient  in tribulation;  continuing instant in prayer; distributing  to necessity of saints; given to hospitality.  Bless them which persecute you; bless and curse not." 

     Here are traits of character that are essential to true Christian  growth, to having Christ formed in the  mind  and life.  These are not exhortations for some special occasion, and  for  which  one  might not have  need  except  at  long intervals.   They are qualities which ought to  become  part and  parcel of the being.  This is a disposition to be  worn throughout the year, beginning with January and holding true all  the  other months.  Christian character should  not  be considered  as  a Sunday garment, that is to be put  off  at other times; it is for sunshine and clouds, for tempest  and calm, sickness and health, and on through afflictions  until death comes.

     Verse  12.   "Rejoicing in hope."  Hope is one  of  the mainsprings  of  continuance.  When the hope sinks low  the strength wanes.  To have energy and activity hope must be in lively  exercise.   Hope  is  expectation  that  has  a  joy connected with it.  What we expect and dread we do not  hope for.   But the desire that can be embraced by hope  is  that which stimulates.

     The  children  of Israel, after having  been  delivered from Egyptian bondage and brought safely across the Red Sea, had  ground for hoping that God would help them through  all their  trials,  and  finally  bring  them  safely  into  the promised  land.  This hope should have made them strong  and willing  to follow the God-given leader, but unbelief  broke down  the force of the evidence they had, so that they  were crippled by fears instead of having courage through hope.

     Every  regenerated child of God has evidence  that  God has  thought on him, and when he is brought to hope  in  his redemption  it  ought to mean so much to him that  he  would rejoice  in it.  It should be taken to signify to every  one who  has a hope that he is included in the purposes  of  God through  Jesus, to be sustained and saved unto eternal  life after death.  It means that if God be for him there is  none that  can  successfully be against him, and  that  he  shall finally  triumph over all trials and afflictions,  and  even death  itself.   It means that God hears his  prayers,  that Jesus  is his intercessor as well; that the Holy  Ghost  has been  sent to be his comforter, and that he shall  come  off more than conqueror through Christ Jesus.  He  may be poor and afflicted in this life,  but  these "light  afflictions"  shall soon be with the things  in  the past, and he shall go home to rest.  Not only so, but  while he  is passing through them he shall not be  forsaken.   The God  that saved Daniel in the Lion's den is his God and  has all  power,  now,  as always in the past, and  he  will  not forsake those who trust in him.  If we call upon him in  the day of trouble he will deliver, that is, he will deliver the mind  and soul from the bondage, or the oppression,  of  the trouble.

     What  a wonderful hope is this!  It is pointed out,  in the words that we are considering, that we should so measure and properly value such a hope that we would rejoice in  it. When  the  ark  of the Lord was brought up to  the  city  of David, David wrote a psalm to be sung in which he said, "Let the  heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord."  He said  in Psalm 9: 14, "I will rejoice in thy salvation."  Jesus  told his  disciples to rejoice that their names were  written  in heaven.  Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, Rejoice."  And, too, he exhorted the Thessalonians, "Rejoice evermore."

     Rejoicing  is the privilege, and, it may be said,  duty of   the   Christian.   But  he  has  trials,   doubts   and afflictions!   How is he then to rejoice?  Rejoice in  hope. Paul,  who  had builded such a strong character  in  hoping, said  he  could even glory in tribulations,  or  rejoice  in them.   How  was  that?  Well, because  he  considered  that tribulations  worked patience, and patience experience,  and experience  hope.   So,  it was  the  looking  forward  that enabled  him  to  glory in  tribulation,  and  this  looking forward  for  good, is hope.  That is what we are  asked  to consider, the growing into that frame of mind that no matter what comes we shall be so fortified in our trust in God, and hoping  in  him, that we shall rejoice that we  are  blessed with such a hope.

     "Patient  in tribulation."  This is what grows  out  of "rejoicing  in hope."  He who can joy in his hope will  have strength  to  endure  tribulation.  "For  ye  have  need  of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye  might receive  the  promise."   It  will  take  more  than   human endurance  to be patient in tribulations such as  come  into most lives, so the concluding thought in this twelfth  verse is,  "Continuing instant in prayer."  So the joy of hope  is not such a gladness as to make one forget his weakness,  but is rather a leaning on the everlasting arm, and trusting  in it,  which  will  lead to constant going to  the  throne  of grace.   Patience will be manifested in a character such  as this.   The  trinity  in  this  verse  forms  a  feature  in Christian  character  that can but impress all who  come  to behold it, and its influence will be a strong recommendation that  the  possessor  is  a real  follower  of  Jesus.  

     The buoyancy  and  brightness of a hope  that  contemplates  the promises  of  God  as  real  facts,  that  endures   without complaining, yielding not to despair, and manifests all  the humility of one who is much at the feet of sovereign  mercy, will do much to strengthen and encourage others.  Verse  13.  "Distributing to the necessity  of  saints; given  to hospitality."  A hospitality that is formal,  cold and  unfelt  will  never impress others  as  coming  from  a Christian character.  It may sometimes be seen in those  who have been regenerated, but it is a fleshly growth and not  a spiritual  fruit.   The  "good Samaritan"  showed  the  real spirit of hospitality, which is opening up the comforts  you have so they may be shared by others.  It is the disposition that feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, and gives water to the  thirsty.  This is the definition, really, to the  first clause  in  this verse--"distributing to  the  necessity  of saints."  It is not the mere giving of material things,  but the cultivation of a soil that will produce such fruit. 

     The"necessity"  of saints is not material things  alone.   They need  the comfort and consolation that kind and  encouraging words  can  give, and a kindly hand to direct  them  in  the difficulties of life.  Are we so selfish, and have so little concern for others, that we cannot spare from what the  Lord has  blessed us with for their necessity?  If so,  there  is something  lacking in our character as a follower of  Jesus, for  he was not that way. He was always ready to respond  to the cry that came from the needy, and the apostle said  that he was anxious in soul until the Galatians had Christ formed in  them.   Of course, we need to have him formed in  us  as much  as did the Galatians, and one trait of  his  character was  always being ready to impart to others.  When the  poor woman  touched his garment there went out from him  for  her necessity.

     It  is  not following Christ to live our  lives  alone Jesus came to minister and not to be ministered unto.  If we follow him we shall find delight in ministering to the needs of others.  If this spirit is formed in us we shall find  it easy  enough  to  share what we have with  others.   If  the church  is  properly  used it  develops  this  spirit.   The selfish  person  can never get the joy and blessing  out  of church membership that it should bring.  He cannot get close enough  to his brethren.  He does not help to  bear  burdens which   should  be  borne  by  all  equally,  according   to individual  ability.  Let the necessity be what it  may,  we should  be interested in it, and cultivate a willingness  to lend  a  helping  hand.  We sometimes take  the  meaning  of hospitality to be just receiving persons into our homes; but it means more.  It means to have a kind and generous  spirit which  is back of the open door, and this can be  manifested in many ways.  We can welcome our brethren into our lives or we can shut them out.

     Verse  14.  "Bless them which persecute you; bless  and curse not."  We are so likely to put our personality before our  religion.   We  do  not  consider  the  real  Christian character  of  persons,  but  only  whether  they  are  well disposed  toward us or not, then, form our opinion of  them. There  are many things to condemn in the world, things  that are  contrary to the teachings of God and the  character  of Jesus, but often we do not consider these things so much  as we  do matters which touch selfish interests.  Many  of  the troubles  in churches start over personal dislikes,  and  to gratify personal feelings other things are taken up to cover up  the  real  feeling.  We take up  some  little  doctrinal difference,  or  perhaps a disciplinary  question,  and  use these weapons to cover up malice in the heart.

     The  apostle lays down a higher line in life.  If  some one  dislikes you without cause, or for Christ's  sake,  and attempts  to  destroy you or make you  unhappy,  stand  high enough  to do good for evil.  It is crucifying to the  flesh to  take such a stand, but it is always safe to  stand  with Jesus, and dangerous to take a different road to the one  he took.   When  his  enemies  put him  to  death,  he  prayed, "Father,  forgive them."  When Jesus and his disciples  were refused bread, his disciples thought he should exercise  his power  and  destroy  those who treated  them  thus;  but  he rebuked them for this spirit. (Luke 9: 55.)  When Christ was reviled  he reviled not again.  He drove out of  the  temple with  a  scourge  those  who  were  making  it  a  house  of merchandise,  but  when he suffered he threatened  not,  but "committed  himself to him that judgeth righteously."   Paul told  the  Corinthians  that his  course  was,  that  "being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it."  This is in keeping with his instructions to the church at Rome.

     The exhortation to bless would probably mean to do good and  to pray for those who persecute you.  Jesus  taught  to pray  for  them which despitefully use you, and  said,  "And when  ye  stand praying, forgive, if ye have  aught  against any;  that your Father also which is in heaven  may  forgive you your trespasses."

     In  the  last clause of this verse Paul lays  down  the rule that embraces the first instruction.  It is "Bless, and curse not."  It is unbecoming poor mortals, who are so  full of faults and weakness, to be cursing or wanting to  destroy others.   In  Jesus' instructions as to  the  principles  of prayer, he says that we may ask the Father to forgive us our trespasses,  "as  we  forgive  our  debtors"  or  those  who trespass  against  us.   It is not  Christ like  to  have  no charity in our judgment of others.  Indeed, we are taught by Jesus  "Judge not, that ye be not judged."  This is  not  in the sense that you are not to know a tree by its fruit,  but to  judge in the sense of condemning.  If we are  censurious to  extreme we may expect to be judged with  like  judgment. It is even said of God that he has pity for the weakness  of his people.  "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth  that we  are  dust."   So, it is said  that  the  merciful  shall receive  mercy.  "Blessed are the merciful; for  they  shall obtain mercy."

     The  noted  Hillel, who lived a little  before  Christ, said, "Do not judge thy neighbor until thou comest into  his place."   God is forgiving and forbearing, and Jesus  taught us  by  example the same principle.   Therefore,  we  should cultivate  it in our lives, and thus may Christ be  "formed" in us.