Good morning, all!
Father, wherever we are and whatever we experience we know our hope is found in You Lord. May faith rise in us today and see Your hand at work in our life, let us trust Your power and Your promise and witness that You are Lord of all and nothing is impossible for You, Amen.
Romans 15
1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
We should use the strength given us by God to BEAR the pain of the weak, and NOT please ourselves.
2 Let every one of us please [his] neighbour for [his] good to edification.
Let EVERYONE of us please his neighbour for his good edification…build them up at your expense.
3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
For Christ pleased NOT himself but as it is written, the things people said to try and bring us shame fell in Jesus instead.
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
And everything written was for our LEARNING not beating, and we through patience…takes time to learn and comfort of scripture to give us HOPE!!!
Bottom line
What is hope? Better days? Answered prayer? New me? I believe hope can be many things when God is involved but in the context of this passage of scripture it begins with an affirmation…We are strong! And what should we do with that strength? Rule the world? Flaunt it? Flex it? Not even close, we bear the pain imposed by the weakness of others and NOT please ourselves. Who are the weak and who are the strong? Well, it might depend on the day for me, when I’m strong in faith and people say and do things to hurt me, I bear it by keeping my mouth shut, that’s strong. But on a bad day I might be weak and not speak with grace, that’s weakness. Let everyone…same as ALL…encourage others even in the face of adversity. This is contrary to the world as they believe you have to raise your voice; you have to speak out against the wrongdoing of others. Are you strong?
[1Co 6:7 NLT] Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? The strong don’t take people to court, notice scripture says when you do, you’re already defeated…your issue or expected outcome is NOT relevant in the eyes of God. Do you suppose He’s called the God of peace for a reason? This is why Christ pleased NOT himself…translation Jesus chose peace over being right, He chose peace over winning the battle, He chose peace at the expense of His dignity…He let the weight of the world fall on Him before He would speak a word of harm against anyone. Now I know as I write this devotion it’s NOT a popular premise, a favorable way of life. But what if I told you that our hope can only be found living with this strength…He did say we were strong…God will never ask you to do anything He hasn’t equipped you to do. I hope you can see the connection this morning, you can’t separate NOT pleasing yourself and having hope. Scripture has a thousand stories for our learning, what are we learning? To live by faith ALONE, weren’t they described as God’s chosen given strength? Aren’t they considered the heroes in this life? Do you know who God considers a hero of faith? Rahab, do you know why she’s a hero?
[Heb 11:31 NLT] It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had welcomed and treated the spies with kindness. Rahab chose faith when confronted with the spies…which would have been considered the enemy, how did she treat them? They were welcomed in her home, and she treated them with kindness…hmm sounds like peace and NOT war, sound like giving and NOT selfish, sounds like love and NOT defensive. Faith isn’t some dormant spirit inside of us with NO sign of strength, faith without works…without action is death. But because Rahab chose the action of faith, her and her entire family were the only survivors in the battle of Jericho. Did you notice Rahab’s occupation? What did she find? HOPE!!! Not only was she saved but this gentile woman with a questionable past would give birth to Boaz. Who is Boaz? He was King David’s great grand- father, she is listed in the lineage of Jesus Christ…translation there is NO Jesus without her…second translation, she is the picture of hope for a life lived by faith. I hope you find your strength to create a life worth remembering, a life that declares you a hero just like Rahab…it begins by welcoming others and being kind.
Point to Ponder
Where is the hope? [Ecc 9:4 NLT] There is hope only for the living. As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion! Hope is a life LIVED, don’t waste your time worrying about what you look like to others.
Let’s all be strong and live like Jesus, In Him Phil
Faith – Family – Friends
