Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Romans 12:11

"in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;" — Romans 12:11 (ASV)

Paul now momentarily directs our attention to the Lord and our service to him before returning to the horizontal relationship within the body of Christ (v.13). After converts have experienced the initial glow and ardor of Christian life there is often danger of slipping back into a deadening spiritual inertia. To counter this, the apostle urges diligent endeavor fed by fervency of spirit. The lack of such fire brought down a rebuke from the Lord on the Laodicean church (Revelation 3:15–16). The Lord calls us to serve him with our best. Such service arouses hope in us, tinged with joy, of seeing Jesus in his glory and of being united with him (1 Peter 1:7–8). This hope sustains us as his servants, enabling us to be “patient in affliction” (cf. 5:3–4). At this point, Paul’s mention of prayer is natural, since it is our great resource when we are under stress and strain.