5 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Romans 15:1-3 (CSB): “Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Our sinful human nature often manifests itself in self-centeredness. We focus on our needs, our wants, our desires. When we talk to others, we may do more talking than listening, and may talk about ourselves much more than express an interest in others. There are so many ways that our self-centeredness may manifest itself.
When we read Romans 15:1-3, we realize that we are called to a different way of thinking and acting. Instead of being self-focused and self-consumed, we are to be others-focused. Let’s consider what we are called to do.
Romans 15:1 (CSB): “Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.”
Someone who has a world-centric mindset might think that the strong get their way. The “strong” in the world usually push their weight around. If you want to resist having them push you around, you may feel the need to equal their strength and stand your ground.
But the Christian worldview calls the strong (convictions, conscience, etc.) to give up their rights if it is for the benefit of the weak (those whose biblical worldview is flawed or incomplete). If we know that we have the moral and biblical right to do something, but also know that it would harm the conscience of someone who is weaker in the faith, then we should give up our rights so as not to cause a stumbling block for the weaker saint.
I take this to be a general principle. If someone insists on being a “professional” weaker brother who feels no obligation to grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth, that may require a different response.
Romans 15:2 (CSB): “Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”
Verse 2 qualifies verse 1. The strong aren’t called to whimsically give up their rights for no reason. Instead, the strong give up their rights for a specific purpose – for their neighbor’s good, to build them up.
We cannot truly say that we love our fellow brothers and sisters-in-Christ if we do things that offend their conscience and harm their walk with Jesus. If we love them, we will sacrifice if it means it helps them grow in grace.
Romans 15:3 (CSB): “For even Christ did not please himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
We see in verse 3 that God does not call us to do anything that He is not willing to do. In fact, we aren’t merely to recognize that Jesus lived this principle, we are to look at Him as our example to follow. Just as He gave up His rights (and temporarily His position in Heaven) for us and our benefit, so we are to be willing to do the same for other believers.
Friend, there is no room for self-centeredness in the life of a Christian. The first two commands focus on our loving response to our God and others. However, this does not mean that we do not care for or value ourselves. In fact, the second command reminds us that before we can truly love others, we must first have a healthy love for ourselves. Our love for ourselves is the standard by which we are to love others.
Matthew 22:39 (CSB): “The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
In fact, I would argue that if we do not have a healthy self-image (Christ-esteem), we cannot truly love others. It is from a position of a healthy self-image that we are able to temporarily deny ourselves for the betterment of others, especially those who are weaker in the faith.
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you continually grow in your faith, understanding biblical truth and the application of it.
- Ask God to help you be willing and able to temporarily lay aside your rights if it means helping a weaker brother or sister.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into who the strong in the faith are to help, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
“What does it mean to be weak in the faith (Romans 14:1)?”
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)
Matt’s Musings 