According to Christ Jesus
- Daily Devotionals
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“Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.’ For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” (Romans 15:1-7 NASB1995)
In Romans 14 we are taught to accept the one who is weak in faith. But by that was meant any Jew turned Christian who could not let go of the dietary and the Sabbath laws of the Old Covenant. And the instructions there let those who were free to eat anything, and were free of having to keep the Sabbath laws (because they were under the New Covenant provided by Christ in his death and resurrection), that they were not to cast judgment on those who believed they must hold those as sacred. And those who held them as sacred were not to cast judgment on those who were free in Christ.
And the beginning of Romans 15 is a continuation of that discussion. We who are free from having to keep the Old Covenant Sabbath requirements and dietary restrictions are to bear with the weaknesses of those who, because of their own consciences, cannot let go of those. So, in no way are these weaknesses to be taken as referring to sinful addiction. We are not to be the church, the body of Christ, which tolerates and which pacifies deliberate and habitual sinning amongst our members. But we are to call sin what it is, and we are exhort one another daily so we are not drawn into sinning willfully.
And if each of us is to please his neighbor FOR HIS GOOD, to his edification, then this definitely is not teaching that we are to tolerate deliberate and habitual sinful practices continuing within the body of believers in Jesus Christ. For not only does that bring harm to the life of the sinners, and to those who they are sinning against, but it has the potential, as well, to impact the entire congregation, and for the leniency to spread like gangrene within the congregation, infecting many more people, destroying human lives, while sending many to hell on the false promise of heaven in store.
For, what does it say? We are to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord we may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not something we can create in our flesh. This has to come from God, but we must be those to receive it and to put it into practice in our daily lives, by the Spirit. Just like with our salvation, which is gifted to us by God, we must be in unity and cooperation with Christ in denying self, dying to sin, and walking in obedience to his commands, in his power, for us to have salvation from sin.
So, if we are of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus, then this same mind must agree with the mind of Christ, and with his teachings, and with the example he put before us as to what it looks like to be a Christian and a follower and disciple of Christ Jesus. And if with one accord we with one voice glorify God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – then that comes from God, and it must be in line with the will and character of God, which we can learn about in the Scriptures. And so with one voice we should be sharing the message of the gospel taught by Jesus Christ.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
Living Water
An Original Work / November 21, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Based off Various Scriptures
My people have forsaken Me,
Their Savior, who died on a tree;
Made idols, and they worshipped them;
So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.
Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.
Those who turn away from You will be shamed;
The Spring of Living Water left behind.
Living Water satisfies.
The thirsty, let them come and drink;
Believe in Jesus as their King;
The gift of Jesus given them,
So they will never thirst again.
Indeed, the Living Water flows within.
It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.
Eternal life in heaven promised them.
Living Water glorifies.
Oh people, won’t you come to Him?
Obey Him and repent of sin.
Let Jesus come and live within.
Surrender all your life to Him.
My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?
Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.
Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?
Living Water sanctifies.
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According to Christ Jesus
An Original Work / September 22, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love