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Praising Our God | September 22, 2021

The real test of our spiritual maturity is our willingness to patiently suffer neglect and abuse from other Christians as we persevere to encourage them toward Christ. Unless we learn the way of Christ in responding to relational injury, relationships will always fail to bring glory to God.

Running away from the pain of difficult people denies the power of gospel love. You can move to a new community; you can go to a different church; you can make new friends; but you will never find the satisfying joy of Christian relationships until you learn to lovingly suffer with one another and for one another. In the same way that Christ suffered to glorify God and build His church, so we must suffer. Only Christ-like love and fortitude can protect the unity and harmony of the church.

Here is the point of Romans 15:1-6:

Christ-like believers, in their pursuit of the spiritual good of other Christians, ought to endure the abuses of other believers instead of pleasing themselves.

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.’ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 15:1–6, ESV).

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