All through my teen years I played rec league basketball. I had a variety of coaches. I loved playing ball enough that I was happy to play for anyone, but to this day there is no question who was my favorite city league coach. When I was 14, I played for a guy who was a former drill instructor in the Marines. This dude was super critical! He screamed and swore at us when we messed up, he was super demanding, and it seemed nothing was ever good enough—I loved him. I remember at one point my mom said she was going to make me quit. She didn’t like to see me get yelled at. My Pops, a Marine himself, told her that I was fine. Despite the tongue lashings we got, the reason I loved this coach so much was that he really knew basketball, and when he told you that you had done well, it meant something. Coach did not often compliment anyone on anything, but if you had played his way and given everything you had in you, when you came off the floor, he would put one hand on your shoulder, the other hand would wrap around the back of your head, he would pull your face towards his, and he would simply say, “Good.” That was it—one word. “Good.” It meant everything. Paul here (metaphorically) has one hand on these Roman believers’ shoulders, and he is looking them in the eye. He tells them that he is convinced that their lives are characterized by goodness, that they have worked for and attained knowledge, and that they are capable teachers. Now, he doesn’t say they are perfect, and in fact, he is going to give them some further instruction in the following verses, but there are two important points to be made here. First, if Paul were commenting on your life, would he say that you are full of goodness, that you are knowledgeable, and that you are a capable instructor? Those are high spiritual ideals and worth striving for. Secondly, Paul makes sure to point out when other believers are doing well. It is important to hold each other accountable, and it is vital that we point out areas of weakness and encourage growth, but there is nothing wrong with noting a strength or an area of recent maturation. A bit of praise can go a long way, and it is something we too often neglect. Romans 15:14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 08:02:04 +0000
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