God Speaks
We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. 2 We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. 3 For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” 4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. 8 Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. 9 He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:
“For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing praises to your name.”
10 And in another place it is written,
“Rejoice with his people,
you Gentiles.”
11 And yet again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles.
Praise him, all you people of the earth.”
12 And in another place Isaiah said,
“The heir to David’s throne will come,
and he will rule over the Gentiles.
They will place their hope on him.”
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. 15 Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, 16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. 17 So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. 18 Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. 19 They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.
20 My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. 21 I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says,
“Those who have never been told about him will see,
and those who have never heard of him will understand.”
22 In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places.
23 But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you. 24 I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my journey.
25 But before I come, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there. 26 For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. 27 They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially. 28 As soon as I have delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain. 29 And I am sure that when I come, Christ will richly bless our time together.
30 Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. 31 Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem. 32 Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.
33 And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Whenever there is a disagreement among believers in Christ, those of us who are more mature should check it out both in prayer and with the scriptures. Then if it seems not to make a difference to God or to us, we should yield to those who are less secure. Why let a mere disagreement hinder our team spirit? We should follow Jesus’s example. He watched out for and met the needs of others ahead of His own–sacrificing His own physical life that we might have complete forgiveness and eternal life with God. The good news is that both Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) are made holy and acceptable to God by Jesus’s dying and rising again and by the Holy Spirit working faith in them and changing their lives. It will be the joy of Paul (and all those who have taken up the challenge to take the good news of Christ to those who have never heard of Him) to present people as a glorious offering to God on behalf of Christ Jesus. Those who receive spiritual blessings should in return use their material resources to bless others, especially those who blessed them. We should reach out to both those ahead of us and behind us on the trail of faith.
Consider the following questions regarding Romans 15:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. The LORD God is the source of encouragement, hope, unity, acceptance, truth, and peace for the people who turn to and depend on Him.
2. People, both Jews and Gentiles, are to glorify God, to praise Him, and to sing for joy in His presence.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Romans 15?
Dear God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, please give Your adopted children “patience, steadfastness, and encouragement. Help [us] to live in complete harmony with each other–each with the attitude of Christ toward the other. And then all of us can praise the Lord together with one voice, giving glory to [You].” (Romans 15:5-6 TLB) God of all hope, please give Your people hope, and keep us content and full of peace as we trustingly rest in You. I pray that You will help us overflow with hope in Christ through the Holy Spirit’s power within us. I pray for believers around the world to be protected from those who oppose the things of God. I pray that these children of Yours will receive all that they need to carry on Your work. I pray that Your workers will have happy hearts as they refresh each other. May You, the source of all true peace, be with Your people wherever they are. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Romans 15? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will write out this prayer and pray it at least once each day for a week.
- I will ask the Lord to show me ways to set aside my preferences for the sake of harmony in a group (especially of believers), then do it.
- I will ask someone I know, “What do you know or feel about Jesus?” Then I will listen without interrupting or judging while asking only clarifying questions.
- I will ask a stranger the question above.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.