“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:7
Acceptance -- we starve for it and some of us will do anything we can to get it. It starts early, too. As children, we seek the acceptance of our parents through good behavior. And then we seek the acceptance of other people, doing whatever it takes to make them notice us, even if that whatever-it-takes is destructive. We sin in search of acceptance. Christ, however, has accepted us without us having to do a thing. He accepts us because of who He is and what He has done, not because of who we are or what we have done. We simply are, and He accepts. As amazing as that is, it is so difficult for our sinful hearts to simply rest in being accepted, and even harder to rest in the reality that we are accepted not to the glory of us, but to the glory of God. What stops you from believing and resting in the fact that you are accepted in Christ? As a result, do you accept others as Christ has accepted you?
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“…but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.” Hebrews 12:10
"It's for your own good....""This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you...." Do either of these phrases sound familiar? Good parents are careful to discipline their children because they love them (Prov. 13:24). It is in this same way, in fact, that God disciplines us. Discipline may be difficult to endure at the time, but it is important to remember that God loves you enough not to leave you in your disobedience. What is the "good" which results from God's discipline in our lives? “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” Mark 9:50
Salt can be found in almost everything we eat. Even though we know that too much salt can be bad for us, we still put it on everything. Let's face it -- salt just makes food taste better, and we crave it! Just as salt changes the flavor of food for the better, Christ followers should also make a difference in the flavor of the world they live in. The specific role of salt in the above verse is its "peacekeeping" power. People who are filled with peace salt their relationships with the love of Christ, and everyone who meets them experiences a taste of that cure. How can you be salt to the people around you who do not know Christ, so that those people will come to crave Jesus through you? “So that there should be no division in the body but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” 1 Corinthians 12:25
The human body has incredible, God-given healing capabilities. Small cuts heal by themselves, and sickness is fought off by the immune system. Analogously, the body of Christ has healing properties within itself, too namely, its members. No issue is too small, and no worry too trivial, for the body of Christ to not care for one another with the grace gifts bestowed on each member. Just like in the human body, each believer in the body of Christ is responsible for seeking the good of his fellow brother in Christ in order that whole body should function properly (Philippians 2:3-5). What are some ways that you can care for others in the body of Christ with your grace gifts as a Jesus follower? “…confess your sins to one another.” James 5:16
Unconfessed sin wages war within, causing spiritual, emotional and even physical pain. Psalm 32:3 says, "I kept my sin in and my bones wasted away." God wants us to experience complete freedom, and that includes freedom from unconfessed sin. When we bring our hidden sin to God, he brings healing, forgiveness, reconciliation and unity of fellowship with other believers. We experience freedom when we obey God' s command of confessing to one another. What is something you have not confessed to another person? Take a moment and write down anything that you have not confessed to another human being. Meet with a trusted friend in Christ and confess your sin. After confessing, pray and agree that this sin can no longer grip you in bondage, and in Christ, you are free! |
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June 2018
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