One Heart

DEVOTION

ROMANS

ONE HEART

Rom 15:1-6

15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."   4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

Some words of encouragement are in order after all that slamming about eating and drinking. However these words are still about how we interact with each other. So maybe it is more like a continuation of what was said before about eating and drinking. Only this time it is about those who are stronger in their faith bearing with those failings of those who are weak in their faith. This would again mean if those who have the freedom in Christ and know that eating and drinking has nothing to do with living as a believer, should bear with those who are living according to rules or regulations established by men rather than God. We just read the kingdom is not about whether we eat certain foods, like the Jews do, or drink wine. Yet here those who are strong need to not please themselves if they cause those who are weak to stumble. Everyone should make an effort to please the other for their good. Everyone should build each other up. As we live in this manner we do what is good for each other. When Paul is speaking about the scriptures he is making reference to, what we call the Old Testament, the scrolls the Jewish people had in their temples.  Looking ahead to the next section of this letter he quotes from those scrolls, that which was written before the writings like this letter to the Saints in Rome. This confirms the Old Testament was a witness to who God is, including Jesus Christ. Many of what was written in the past was written about Jesus. Paul says it was written to teach us so that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures we can have hope. This is a key for living for God. We are all on a journey with the Lord. We are all remarkably different in this journey, yet we are also remarkably the same, as we all want live according to the ways of the Lord, we all have the hope of eternal life. If nothing else in our lives has any resemblance to each other, the hope of glory, eternal life, is at the core of our being. We hope everything is true. Some have had incredible first hand experiences with the Lord. Some have experienced divine healings, some divine intervention through a miracle. Some have experienced nothing from the hand of God to prove he is real. Their only hope is in what has been written. Yet we are to have a unity in the spirit. We are to talk with one mind and one mouth about the glories of God, to bring glory to God the Father and to Jesus Christ. Whether we have experienced God first hand or only know what the scriptures say, we are to speak as one people, all believers in Jesus Christ. Those who have experienced God still need the hope as do those who have never had a personal encounter with God. We all walk the same path which is led by our Lord. His word is a lamp onto our feet, showing the way we should go. As many travelers in the Old Testament times would travel in groups, we too should travel in groups. It was rare for one person to go from one city to another alone, which might well bring about some harm to him. It was more customary for people to travel with others, making for a more secure traveling experience. Being alone on the road only made it easier to be attacked by those who would do evil. This truth is shown to us in the story about the Good Samaritan who helped the beaten man along the road. Today it is not much different. If we try to travel the narrow road, following Jesus, all alone, we too are in danger of being attacked by he who does evil. So we travel the road with other believers, we encourage each other, we build each other up in our hope, we give each a sense of unity, of belonging to a group of travelers watching out for each other. We are all on the same road, the same path, and we sing the same tune, all praising God and giving him the glory and honor he so deserves. We are not alone and we cannot live as through we are alone. We live as a unit as one heart and mind. We are not alone, we are one heart. At least that is the way it is supposed to be. One heart.