Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just to please ourselves.
As big brothers and big sisters we need to uphold our little brothers and sisters, helping them for their benefit and growth. This will also benefit us, too, but we are to do it for their good, as members of our family.
Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.
We need to be aware of our neighbors, to be able to help them in the way that will benefit them, even if they're not family members yet, so that they will be drawn to God as we were.
For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written,
"The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on Me" (Psalm 69: 9).Jesus took our sins upon Himself, when we were still His enemies, and He drew us to Himself thereby; so our doing good to our neighbors will show them God's love for them.
For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
God had all the Scriptures written down, not just an oral history, so that we could know that what we read there is accurate, and trustworthy, and true. We can confidently trust it to lead us aright. To show us how following His ways is so beneficial for us, to encourage us to keep on keeping on, especially when the going is tough. So we would know that His plans for us are for our good, to reward us with Himself and His glorious goodness.
Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,
He wants us all to be one family, to all think His thoughts for us, so we will all hold up one another in encouragement to persevere in the things He has planned for each of us to accomplish in His strength.
so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As one great choir, all singing the same symphony, in gorgeous harmony, in thanksgiving for all He has done for us and in us and through us, glorifying His great Name!
Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
This will only happen when we take one another just as we are, even when we rub against each other's rough spots, when we are aggravated and irritated with one another's faults. Christ accepted every one of us in our sinfulness, which made us His enemies; so we are to accept one another, and let the irritations slide off our backs as water off a duck's back.
We are to forgive one another, as God forgives us through Christ, and get along with one another, helping their weaknesses in our strengths, and letting them help our weaknesses in their strengths. We are so much better together, as our Father in His compassionate wisdom has put us together to help one another, to His great glory!
O my Father, You are so compassionate in Your Love for us, to put us together into families and communities and congregations and Nations. You made us to be social beings, because You enjoy being Father and Son and Spirit.
You are One and You want us to be united as one in You also. In unity, not uniformity, because You love diversity. You made us all different from one another, and You want us to learn to get along with one another, even in our differences. To be united in Your Love.
Father, continue to teach us how to do this. You know that we are only dust, and we have the World, the devil, and our own flesh all working against us. But Your Spirit in us is so much stronger than all of these combined, to give us the victory over every deception and every battle and every temptation, because Christ Jesus has already won the war!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will sing Your praises, that Jesus is our Christ and Redeemer, our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
