1 We may know that these things make no difference, but we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves. We must be considerate of the doubts and fears of those who think these things are wrong. 2 We should please others. If we do what helps them, we will build them up in the Lord. 3 For even Christ didn’t please Himself. As the Scriptures say, “Those who insult you are also insulting Me.” 4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises.
5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other – each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other. 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 So accept each other just as Christ accepted you; then God will be glorified. 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 And He came so the Gentiles might also give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:
“I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to Your name.”
10 And in another place it is written,
“Rejoice, O you Gentiles, along with His people, the Jews.”
11 And yet again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; praise Him, all you people of the earth.”
12 And the prophet Isaiah said,
“The heir to David’s throne will come, and He will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hopes in Him.”
13 So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We will always find those that are strong in faith and those who are weak. The truth is that each of us will have times of both. We need to be wary of this. Each of us must be constantly mindful of those around us, and offer help when they need it. And, in doing so, someone will be there to lift us up in our time of weakness. Just as Christ came to serve, we must also serve.
On one occasion, James and John came to Jesus and boldly asked that each of them be seated at His right and left when Jesus comes into His kingdom in heaven. Jesus told them that they don’t know what they are asking. “Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of sorrow I am about to drink?” Jesus asked. “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able”. “You will indeed drink from it.” He told them. The other Apostles became indignant when they heard what James and John were asking. So, Jesus called them all together and said, “You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:35-45)
As we continue on our journey of Sanctification, we grow in our faith and learn to be more like Christ. Christ was keenly aware of the needs of those around Him. Jesus is the suffering servant that the Prophet Isaiah wrote about. He came to serve and to give. And we should do the same.
We need to understand that Christians will always have times of doubt and times of fear. It doesn’t make us any less Christian when we do. It doesn’t make us any less a child of God, who He loves so much that He adopted into His own family.
We are one with Christ now. Paul quoted Psalm 69:9, “…so those who insult you are insulting Me.” We will be persecuted – some worse than others – but, we will all suffer some sort of trials because we align ourselves with Christ. What’s interesting is that Paul pointed out that these trials are good for us, that these prophecies were given long ago to teach us. And, that we should find hope and encouragement through them.
This seems backwards. We typically hope for an easy, carefree life – sunny days, all green lights on the drive to work, easy customers, and a home cooked meal when we get home. How can we find hope and encouragement in times of persecution?
I’ve found that, to me, it is a type of spiritual barometer. Whenever we do anything to advance the Kingdom of God
We need to have this same attitude of Christ to one another. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will have the patience needed to give encouragement to others, so that we can live in harmony as one Church – giving glory to God.
We need to accept each other just as we are. We need to lose the stereotypes and prejudices. We are all children of God when we put our faith in Christ.
Each of our journeys of Sanctification is unique. Planned from the beginning and guided by the Holy Spirit. Some came to faith as a young child, and others while they were on death row. Some had a wonderful childhood, and others came from an abusive family. No matter what path your life has taken, you have found your way to where you belong – you are in the family of God.
God will use every single part of our lives for His glory. The rocky path that we have walked has made us uniquely qualified to serve His Kingdom in a very specific way. God knew before time ever began the shape we would be in at the moment we came to faith. And, in knowing that, He created a unique plan – specifically designed for us, so that we could advance His Kingdom.
As I said before, God doesn’t own a set of cookie cutters – we are all individually hand made. Each one different from the other. Each one with its own plan and purpose.
God chose to reveal Himself to the world, through the Jewish people. He promised that He would send His Son to live the perfect life that we can’t live, so that He could be the perfect sacrifice that we could never be, and that His sacrifice would be so complete that it would cover every sin that ever was and that ever will be. Christ fulfilled these promises so that we could know that God is true to His Word, and that when He makes a promise, He keeps it.
These promises were not just for the Jewish people – they are for all people. Scattered throughout the Old Testament writings are God’s plans to redeem the entire world. Paul quoted Psalm 18, Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 117, and Isaiah 11 that speak of God’s plan of redemption for all of the people of the world.
It is a holy nation of individuals, who come together in faith in Jesus Christ, that make up His Church.
Paul finished with a prayer that God, who gives us hope, will keep us happy and give us peace as we believe in Him – and a blessing that we may overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
Study Questions
Are you aware of the needs of those around you?
We all have times of faith and times of doubt. When our faith is high, we need to make it a point to lift others up around us. And, when our faith is low, we need to be willing to accept help from others. There are no Lone Ranger Christians – we are all in this together – just as a family should be.
Do you struggle with accepting others that are different than you?
Christians come in all different types of packaging. Some are old and some are young. Some are clean and some are dirty. The list could go on. Do you find yourself staying away from those who are not like you? Each of us has something to offer another, and each of us has something to gain from another. Don’t be afraid to get involved with fellow Christians. You might just discover the plan that God has for your life.
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