Friday
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 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.
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.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. . . .
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:1-7, 13, NIV)
The Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Romans concludes with an extensive discussion of how God’s righteousness is to be practiced in the world. In chapter 12, Paul describes the various gifts which members of the church have received by God’s grace. He encourages the Christians in Rome to have “sober judgment” concerning who they were and how they were gifted. He then offers practical suggestions about how to love each other: “Honor one another above yourselves” (v. 10b); “Share with God’s people who are in need” (v. 13a); and, “Live in harmony with one another” (v. 16a).
In the following chapter, the Apostle discusses the Christian’s view of civil authority. He notes that political authorities are “God’s servants” who deserve honor as they fulfill their role of maintaining a just social order. The context for today’s verses is a second description by Paul about life within the church and how Christians are to conduct themselves within the community of faith. These practical suggestions are guidelines for how God’s righteousness should be evident in the church as a witness to the world. The “spirit of unity” which should characterize the church world, in Paul’s words, allow Christians “with one heart and mouth… [to] glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 6).
God desires that the church be a model of Christian love so that others will see in it an example of what peace in society would be like. In this way, the gospel of peace would be realized in the life of the church.
Prayer
God of peace, we praise you for your Son, who is the Head of the church. We pray that members of the family of faith will demonstrate love for each other, as Jesus loved us. We confess that the church has been such a failure in living out your desire that we love one another. Enable us by the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of your love in our lives and in our relationships with others. Amen.