Dear Daily Message Readers,
READ: Romans 15:1-13
Romans 15:7 (NIV) "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."
As Christians, we are called to live an inclusive lifestyle toward others. By this I mean that we are instructed in the Bible to reach out to those who might not be accepted by others. But we get so comfortable and content with our Christian friends and fellowship that we may feel it is too much to ask to bring them into our exclusive group.
As a child, this lesson was one of the hardest I had to learn. My mother always made sure I was deeply involved with the various activities I participated in, which ranged from sports to academic competition. She would often tell me in the events, "Make sure you include Tom and Chad in your game." I dreaded hearing those words, because I just wanted to be with my friends and experience the things we did as a group. I often asked myself why I should have to make sure that other people were having fun at the expense of my comfort and sanity.
However, the more I grew in my faith, the more I realized the importance of living out the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 15:1-13. Though this passage came alive to me some years after my early experiences, those trying times taught me that we must welcome and accept both unbelievers and believers who may not feel comfortable in our particular Christian groups.
Though some people are excluded from your personal circle of friends because of their social status, anger, personality, or strangeness, these things shouldn't matter. Instead, we should seek to receive people "just as Christ accepted [us], in order to bring praise to God" (15:7).
Faith Lesson: We should care for others because we have a Savior who cares for us.
In Christ,
Darin Smith
READ: Romans 15:1-13
Romans 15:7 (NIV) "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."
As Christians, we are called to live an inclusive lifestyle toward others. By this I mean that we are instructed in the Bible to reach out to those who might not be accepted by others. But we get so comfortable and content with our Christian friends and fellowship that we may feel it is too much to ask to bring them into our exclusive group.
As a child, this lesson was one of the hardest I had to learn. My mother always made sure I was deeply involved with the various activities I participated in, which ranged from sports to academic competition. She would often tell me in the events, "Make sure you include Tom and Chad in your game." I dreaded hearing those words, because I just wanted to be with my friends and experience the things we did as a group. I often asked myself why I should have to make sure that other people were having fun at the expense of my comfort and sanity.
However, the more I grew in my faith, the more I realized the importance of living out the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 15:1-13. Though this passage came alive to me some years after my early experiences, those trying times taught me that we must welcome and accept both unbelievers and believers who may not feel comfortable in our particular Christian groups.
Though some people are excluded from your personal circle of friends because of their social status, anger, personality, or strangeness, these things shouldn't matter. Instead, we should seek to receive people "just as Christ accepted [us], in order to bring praise to God" (15:7).
Faith Lesson: We should care for others because we have a Savior who cares for us.
In Christ,
Darin Smith
