“…just as Christ accepted you…” Romans 15:7b

Christian, in today’s passage spiritually strong followers of Christ are directed to “…bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” (Romans 15:1) In other words, the stronger Christian should not be so engrossed in the pursuits of life’s pleasures that weaker Christians are marginalized or ignored. Paul taught that Christians should be intentional in working for another’s good (specifically he said neighbor, and could very well have been intimating the parable of The Good Samaritan told by Christ; v.2; Luke 10:25-37) by building-up one another.

Even Jesus did not seek to gratify His own personal preferences (v.3; read Matthew 20:22-23; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42) and Paul supported this assertion with a prophetic verse from Psalm 69:9, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Christ took on the sin of man upon a cross, as well as the insults aimed at God, The Father! Reflecting on the Old Testament verse, Paul described the power of The Word to give hope:

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (v.4)

Scripture is not just a historical reference; it is a dynamic power to lend hope and confidence in Christ to work all things out for the good!  Paul is then led into a moment of worship as God breathed a benediction through him:

“May the God Who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” (vv. 5 – 6)

When we “…do what leads to peace…” (v.19; see yesterday’s blog), God gives to each Believer endurance to run the race of life, as well as encouragement to preserve the unity of the Body. Why is this so important? Paul did not mince words by stating that a unified Body clearly articulates the message of salvation with one heart and mouth, and brings glory to God in the process! We are designed to worship, and the glory we give God in worship is enhanced exponentially when the church knows a spirit of unity.

While we are doing what leads to peace, we are to bear with the failings of weaker Believers. We are much too quick to throw the relationship away… and function on the convenience principle. Christian, the Christian walk is not a convenient walk, it is a run into battle! Paul directs us today through two thousand years of history to: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (v.7)

This is not an easy assignment. We all have other Christians in our lives requiring an extra dose of grace from us. Perhaps it is a personality thing. Perhaps it is just as Paul described – one Christian is weak in an area of life and needs others to come along her/him to redeem and restore that weaker one. In any case, the church is made up of EGR Christians (Extra Grace Required). We are all broken in some way or another, and where one is weak, another may be strong… dispensing the extra grace required for the moment.  When a Christian is focused on him/herself, the ability to perceive the obvious need is lost.

So, we approach each other daily with an unspoken plea: Will you bear with my weakness? Will you sharpen me as iron sharpens iron? Will you build me up? I write these vignettes on a daily basis in hope that someone out there is being built up in hope.

Have a blessed day and a great weekend!