Friday, July 16, 2021

Romans 15 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Romans 15:4

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope.

Endurance was taught, and encouragement was given through the Scriptures, and at that point, they had only the Old Testament! What a blessing this is to us! We now have both the Old and New Testaments, the entire Word of God. But I have to ask again, are we using this powerful weapon daily? It is God who gives both endurance and encouragement, and one of the ways He does it is through His Word. This doesn't mean that's the only way, but if we are lacking either of these things, we know that we can go to His Word and find the endurance and encouragement needed to carry our crosses that day.

I think it's important to note that it says endurance is taught in the Scriptures; this tells me it takes dedication and time. But I don't believe that God thinks we can just endure on our own, so it says they provide encouragement (which to me sounds more immediate than the teaching of endurance). What a beautiful picture of God encouraging us to help us endure! He gives us a verse here or there to hold onto, a truth from Him to us to help us endure those hard and overwhelming times. Thus, we are able to develop the endurance needed through His encouragements given! God wants us to be encouraging, have endurance, and be united in Him for His glory! Stronger together in Him than out floating on a spiritual island!

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

God bless! I love you all, but His love paid it all! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit who reveals the Word of God to us as we read it!

 

Romans 15:5,6

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

Anybody tired? Overwhelmed? Feeling like your under constant attack? Running short on energy and patience? Feeling like a dark cloud is just following you around? Then ask the God of endurance and encouragement to fill your heart, mind, and soul with both! He is willing and He is able! Our God knows and understands our weaknesses even better than we do. For He created us in the beginning and then walked this earth as fully God and fully man, experiencing our humanity while holding onto His Heavenly nature.

In doing this, He has the greatest understanding of who we are – first because He created us and then because He walked with us as Immanuel (God with us). Think about it like this: as Christ experienced the weaknesses of the flesh, He also had the Heavenly mind to be able to dissect, refute, and overcome them. By doing this, He not only understands our weaknesses but what is needed to overcome them. That is one reason why the Holy Spirit had Paul write about the God of endurance and encouragement, for He knew we would need both to live this life to the glory of God.

There will be times when this walk seems to be a breeze, but there will be times in this life when we must push through, gritting our teeth and carrying our cross while we follow our King. In these times, we will need God-given endurance and encouragement! And guess what? He is willing and even wants to give it! It’s not some elusive, far-off mystic thing but very real and near to us today! So be encouraged and be willing to ask the God who gives endurance and encouragement for both!

James 1:17- Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

God bless! I love you all, but His love is far more generous and life-giving than we can even imagine! Praise, glory, and honor now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ, our King and the Holy Spirit!

 

Romans 15:7

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 

 

We live in a world where acceptance is confused with approval. We have to accept each other, our faults, our failures, our different personalities, and different likes and dislikes, but we don’t have to approve of each other’s sin. The Bible tells us to speak truth and to speak it in love. It tells us to bear one another’s burdens, not to back them up or encourage them.

 

I think it’s a very fine line between acceptance and approval, and we have to know the difference. It’s important as the Church that the unbeliever or the backslider know that we love them and we accept them as Christ accepted us but that we don’t condone their sin or their actions against God’s Word or His Spirit.

 

I think for me, I always thought that being a Christian was easy and meant putting up with everything and turning a blind eye. On the contrary, it’s extremely tough to look someone in the eye and tell them, “I love you, and so does Jesus, but what your doing is sin.” That doesn’t mean to go around judging and condemning, but rather calling things what they are. We don’t have to do anything more than pull the Bible out and let the Word of God speak for itself.

 

The greatest gift you can give someone is the Truth. The Truth has a name, and it’s Jesus, so let Him guide you into His acceptance instead of just blind approval!!! And by doing this, we bring praise to the Lord who is worthy of all praise!!!! Let’s be a bold people, accepting and acknowledging all Truth in love!!! True Godly acceptance is not approving of sin but rather loving you through it!!!

 

Be accepting, Be honest, Be vulnerable, and Be desperate for Jesus!!!!

 

I love you all. God bless. Glory to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit!

 

 

Romans 15:13

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. 

 


I love this verse because it takes the pressure off. It doesn’t say, “Fill yourself with joy and peace,” but rather, “Let God fill you,” and He does that when we trust in Him!!! Joy, peace, and hope are all things I associate with Jesus and are all things I get to experience as I walk with Him!!! My hope is in Jesus, so for me to overflow with Hope is to overflow with Jesus and who He is in my life!!!

 

This verse also tells me that once I am full, whether with good or bad things, I will overflow, and as I overflow, I will splash on those around me. So, if I’m full of anger, pride, lust, selfishness, or bitterness, I’m gonna splash those things on the people I’m closest to. Vice versa; if I’m full of joy, peace, hope, love, and forgiveness, guess what you’re gonna get splashed with??? The heart of Jesus!!!

 

I love how this verse incorporates the entire Trinity as well; because of Jesus, we can ask God to fill us with these things through the Holy Spirit!!! It’s all 3 working together, and working together for our good the good of those we can splash on!!! If I try to fill myself, I’m gonna fail. Eventually, something that no one wants to get splashed with is gonna find its way in me. But if I let God fill me with His goodness and His gifts, I can promise you that it will always be exactly what’s needed and full of Jesus!!! The question isn’t whether you will splash but rather what you will splash!!!

 

Be encouraged and be encouraging!!! I love you all, God bless, and glory to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit!!!

 


 

 

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