We must not live to just please ourselves. We are called to live putting others first.
We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. 2 We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. 3 For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” 4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. 8 Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. 9 He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:
“For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing praises to your name.”10 And in another place it is written,
“Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.”
11 And yet again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles.
Praise him, all you people of the earth.”12 And in another place Isaiah said,
“The heir to David’s throne will come,
and he will rule over the Gentiles.
They will place their hope on him.”13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:1-13
Be aware of where another Christian is in their walk.
In this chapter, Paul continues to stress the importance that Christians be sensitive to one another. If we are stronger in our faith, we must be considerate and refrain from doing things that may make a newer Christian stumble, even if they are things that are allowable. We must truly put others first to build each other up in the Body of Christ. We will live putting others first.
We must not allow our freedom to cause another to sin.
In Christ Jesus, we each received abundant grace. We also received the gift of righteousness. These are free gifts that we did not earn. Jesus did not put strings or conditions on the abundant grace that we received. Therefore, we need to be careful to not put strings or conditions on grace where another is concerned. If we do as Jesus commanded and love one another, it brings honor and unity. This is the life that we’re called to live in the Body.
Jesus should be our example of living that we aspire to reach. He was truly selfless in all that He did. He served others freely and willingly and lovingly. His Word gives us hope and encouragement as well as instruction for living. In all areas of our lives, we need to look to the Scriptures for our answers and advice. We need to look to Jesus for our patience and encouragement as well. He gives us all these things and more. We can only live in complete harmony with each other within Him. If we try to live with one another in our own strength, we are going to fail. But when we live with one another in His strength, we will have great success.
He desires for us to join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father.
Jesus will always glorify the Father. This is one of the reasons He came to earth to live among us – to reveal the goodness of His Father. When we live in harmony and unity with one another in the Body WE reveal the goodness of the Father to the world. This is pleasing to Him. Therefore, it should be one of our goals.
Acceptance is also another attribute we’re called to have.
It doesn’t say agreement. It says acceptance. We do not always have to agree with one another but we need to honor and respect each other’s opinions. That is as long as it is not an opinion that violates Scriptural truth.
Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show God’s faithfulness in the promises He made to their ancestors. He also came so that the non-Jews, the Gentiles, might give glory to God as well.
We need to rejoice in the name of the Lord. He is our hope. Our Savior. Our Redeemer.
When we were lost and without hope, He came to be our hope. He came to redeem us from our absolute lost and dark lives. For this and so much more, we need to lift up our voices and praise Him and never stop! He is the source of all hope and He will fill us with joy and peace when we trust in Him. Then we will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Recall that when Jesus ascended to Heaven to sit at the Father’s right side, He sent another who resides within us. This is the Holy Spirit. He is our Advocate and our Comforter. He will glorify Jesus as He teaches us all that we need to know. The Holy Spirit reveals the Word to us as we read it. He reveals Jesus to us. He is the power that we have within to show the love and mercy of Christ on earth.
Stay in the Light and the Love Always,
Eva
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