Good morning, my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Opening Prayer:
We will ask the Lord to shine into our hearts in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. O loving, master the pure Light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our minds so that we may understand Your teachings in scripture.
Please help us apply what we learn after having conquered our sinful desires. We may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing everything pleasing to You: your Christ, our God. You are light, and to you, we give glory, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and into the endless ages. Amen.
Romans 15:13 (NKJV)
Now, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul wrote to the Romans at a church he had never visited. Still, he was writing to present the fact of living faith versus dead faith, living works versus dead works, good versus evil, righteousness versus unrighteousness, and the natural versus the unnatural, and lastly, he wrote on faithfulness versus unfaithfulness. We see in v. 13 that this prayer and blessing is appropriate for what Paul is writing about, and as we allow God to fill our hearts with hope, joy, and peace in the process of us believing, this, with God’s help, will help to equip us with the ability to live in common bond and unity with other Christians, and this is something God desires from us all. It is what He has called all believers to do: live in a common bond of unity. This is beautiful and a great reflection for us all.
My Reflection: We live in a world where Christians are not unified but divided, and instead of living this way, many choose to argue over theological points. Jesus never claimed these points with people; He lived by example, showing love to all. The truth is that too many Christians these days are way too sensitive or easily offended, and they lack a complete understanding that Christianity is not a title. It’s a “WAY OF LIFE,” a life of commitment, discipline, and obedience, and the overwhelming desire to deny oneself and live a faithful life of service to others, and this is the true definition of a minister, “It is to serve someone else’s will.” The Church is the Body of Christ, and the Church is all those who walk with and follow Jesus. In the Book of Acts, Christianity was known as the “THE WAY” because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the Light for us all. Jesus once said that we are to love God with all of our hearts, souls, and strength, and we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and if we continue to ask, seek, and knock, then along with loving God and our neighbors than unity should not be an issue, but it is, the question is why?
MY DEEP STRUGGLE: I struggle with those who say they walk with Jesus, yet their lives and actions reflect differently.
In Christ, love Jared W. Campbell
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