Post by tomdurst on Apr 11, 2014 4:25:52 GMT -5
ACCEPT EACH OTHER
Romans 15:7 New Living Translation (NLT)
7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.
Christ accepts us not because of our merits but by His grace through faith. So we should accept one another in the same way. God regards us as having His own righteousness through Jesus (see Isaiah 61:3, 10; Jeremiah 23:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21). So in our relationships with others we extend grace and do not look for or hold other's faults against them but instead look for the good. If we dwell on the human faults of others we drag ourselves down. In Paul's day the church had believers from numerous backgrounds who had problems getting along with one another and so he lays down guidelines to bring peace. The supreme principle was to "accept each other just as Christ has accepted you." Our Savior doesn't watch for every mistake and fault that we have but accepts us in a "grace" relationship not because we are performing so perfectly. We must extend the same grace to others that we ask for ourselves. When the grace of God is lost sight of people start biting and devouring one another and division happens, often over very trivial things. I feel the need to grow in my practice of grace. I must admit that my own mistakes at times can be a bit disheartening and so I go to God's Word and find comfort and courage to go forward. Without the comfort of the Word life would be bleak indeed (see Romans 15:4; 2 Corinthians 1:4; Colossians 2:2).
If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I invite you to read A CRY FOR HELP which is on the link below:
A CRY FOR HELP
