We Are Family
Opening Prayer
God of Wonder, I am lifted, carried, transported in praise to You!
Read Romans 15:7-13
[7] Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. [8] For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed [9] and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.” [10] Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.” [11] And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.” [12] And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” [13] 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. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What are the benefits of the endurance and encouragement?How did Jesus accept you (7)? Did he tell you to completely clean up your act or sort out your bank balance before he would save you? No! And thank God that was the case. He accepted you and me purely by grace through faith (we deserved the opposite of God’s forgiveness, i.e., judgment) and solely because of his mercy, not our personalities or zip codes (see 9:15,16). But pause and reflect for a moment: what is your level of acceptance of people in your church? Do you wear a Sunday mask, keep others at arm’s length, and secretly query their motives? God wants us to love our brothers and sisters unswervingly, no matter what our differences. There couldn’t have been a greater social and religious divide than the one between Jew and Gentile (8,9). Yet Jesus’ life, death and resurrection destroyed that barrier. He has removed the fear and hostility so often present between us and other Christians who may be different than us (Eph. 2:14).
Apply
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (7). Reflect on how you perform this task.
Closing prayer
Lord God, thank You for the gifts of endurance and encouragement You give me.
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