TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their
good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it
is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 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.
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. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you,
in order to bring praise to God.
—Romans 15:1-7 (NIV)
Additional Scripture
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
—Mark 2:1-5 (NIV)
Reflect on the Word
The beauty of the countercultural faith we ascribe to is revealed in how radically focused it is on the good of others in the midst of a culture obsessed with the good of self. Everywhere you look in the life of Jesus and His first church, you see something we easily forget: Faith is built to have communal power. We were never meant to possess the land, to take ground for God’s kingdom, on our own. We were meant to do it together.
What does this look like? Romans 15:1-7 says it means always contending for others, bearing with their weaknesses and working to
strengthen them however we can. For the friends of the paralytic man in Mark 2:1-5, faith in the healing power of Jesus meant creating a door for someone even when there seemed to be no room. It means being willing to make decisions that are not for our own benefit, but for the good of others and for the good of God’s kingdom. As we follow Jesus in a culture of self, we contend by faith for the transformation of others.
As we do, our faith will open doors of breakthrough and transformation for those who need it the most. This is not just transformation
for transformation’s sake. It is the way we take ground in the battle against the enemy. It is only by being willing to empower others for
God’s work that, together, we can possess the land that God has given us to take.
Prayer + Contemplation
- Reflect on how God has used the faith of others to empower you. Thank God for the ways He has used these individuals.
- Revisit the words of Romans 15:1-2 and invite the Holy Spirit to do a heart assessment. How might He be inviting you to bear with the weak and love your neighbor?
- Who are you empowering with your faith? Who has God
placed in your life that you can bring to Jesus, like the friends of the paralytic man? Pray that God would give you wisdom, discernment and boldness as you seek to empower others in this season.
Prayer is for the whole family
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