Romans 15 - 10.22.24

SCRIPTURE

Romans 15:5   May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

OBSERVATION

Paul is speaking to the church in Rome and speaks to us wholeheartedly being not only filled in our walk with the Lord Jesus, as Christians, but filled with care and concern for others. Pointing out Jesus as the example, Jesus ALWAYS put others first. As is stated in Romans vs 3:

“For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

APPLICATION

Our hope is in Jesus Christ.  What He endured as the promised Messiah is unfathomable.  HE IS THE GOOD NEWS and the GREAT ENCOURAGER!!  We are left with HIS Holy Spirit as our guide and comforter.  Our HOPE is in His words and we are on fire to pour out this hope and encourage others when we see the needs and the trials they are going through.  AND of importance, at least to me, is to recognize when I am being CRITICAL of others and CHANGE to see them as Jesus does.  And encourage them.  And claim the word ENDURANCE.

PRAYER

Lord, when I read these scriptures and I think of all You and the disciples went through and the people who know you today because of YOUR ENDURANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT given to these twelve men to carry on your work of salvation, I fall on my face with love and humble gratitude and tears.  Thank you, Father!

From these twelve men after Jesus was resurrected:

2022 statistics of people who Identify as a Christian in the world with a 1.17 percent growth rate, almost 2.56 billion people will identify as a Christian by the middle of 2022. By 2050, that number will top 3.33 billion.

Lord, today let me/each of us review our walk in this life and Lord, give us your encouraging words for others and if there is any one we feel critical of let us remember a previous teaching of Pastor Levi, Amen!

Luke 6:41-42

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye

- Charleen Zakarian