The God of Steadfastness
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Romans 15:1-10
1. We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves; 2. let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him. 3. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me." 4. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6. that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7. Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9. and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise thee among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name"; 10. and again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people";
We are the “strong” referred to in verse 1. Our faith is strong, and so we are tasked with bearing in love those whose faith is not as strong—or those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior. We are to do more than tolerate them, we are to bear them in love. We are to steadfastly and with gentleness preach the word of the risen Lord to all we meet. We are to live our lives as servants of that word.
We will be criticized. We will be scorned. We may even be persecuted. But we are not to retaliate or lash out! We are to embrace those who strike out at us. It’s not always going to be easy. But when we remember what Christ bore for us – and for those who are yet to believe – we can find the strength and courage and endurance to live rightly and be a light to others.
Paul tells us in this letter that Jesus came to his own people, to teach them first, so they could in turn go out into the world to continue His work. That’s a tall order! But sometimes its even more difficult to hold fellow believers up in love! Sometimes we have disagreements and misunderstandings among ourselves. Sometimes we disagree on how to demonstrate our faith appropriately. Sometimes we just plain lose patience with each other.
But Paul compels us to not let that happen! We have a job to do; a mission to complete; a destiny to fulfill. We are saved through God’s grace, and we must bring as many others into the fold as we possibly can in the short time we’re on this earth! There is no time for arguing, fighting, angry, hurt feelings between members of the family of God! We must agree to disagree in love and then move on to the common task at hand!
Our focus should always remain twofold: praising God and bringing others to Christ! How we do it may not be the way our brother does it. The method our sister uses, may not be one that we are comfortable with. But the questions we must ask are: “Does this glorify God?” and “Will this help create disciples of Jesus Christ?” Beyond that, the rest is not within our control—or at least should not occupy our time and energy unnecessarily.
Love and encourage fellow disciples! Remain strong and steadfast in fulfilling your own mission, and offer a refuge to those who are struggling in their task. God sent Jesus to show us “how it’s done.” If we keep our eyes on the cross and our hearts focused on Jesus, we will accomplish our mission. Bringing others to Christ requires that we do more than say the right words. It requires that we live a life worthy of imitation.
I hope you are steadfast today in all your actions and that your words are so full of love and hope that others are drawn to you, seeking the source of your strength.
Mary
