November 15, 2018

Christ Is the Example 

Romans 15:1–3

Whitney Pickett
Thursday's Devo

November 15, 2018

Thursday's Devo

November 15, 2018

Central Truth

Christ is the example for us in that He did not come to please Himself. Instead, He took on Himself reproaches that were not His to bear, so that good could come to others. 

Romans 15:1–3

The Example of Christ

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.”

Dive Deeper | Romans 15:1–3

When I read Romans 15:1-3, the first thing that comes to mind is my time spent at Watermark Urgent Care. We as believers have an obligation to bear the failings of, to encourage, to rejoice with, to suffer with, to know, to love, and to share the good news with those who don’t know Jesus. The spiritually strong should not be doing things to accommodate themselves, but to accommodate the spiritually poor for their good and to build them up! 

For me, getting to serve at the clinic has helped me see these verses in a tangible way. I realized that by putting my own desires away (sleeping in, traveling, or just getting to the next thing on my to-do list) and serving someone else with with my time instead, I am choosing to accommodate their needs over my own. 

Getting to serve people from all different cultures, religions, languages, and walks of life has stretched me in how I love people. I had a patient come in from Africa who struggled with insomnia. As we began to talk more about his journey as a refugee in America, he was open about his struggles and worries. It was a moment the Lord used for me to grow in listening, encouraging, and sharing the good news, when before I might have missed the opportunity to have a spiritual conversation. The deepest way to care for people is to share the gospel with them. That is everyone’s deepest need! 

Looking at Romans 15:2-3, it is no surprise that Paul mentions Christ as the example for sacrificial love. But what is surprising is the illustration Paul uses. Paul quotes David’s Psalm 69:9 written a thousand years before Christ came instead of using one of the numerous examples from Jesus’ life here on earth. Jesus accepted reproaches that belonged to us. The penalty that was ours became His. In all the ways we love and serve people, let us do it so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. Let us give to others as we have been given to. 

This month's memory verse

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

– Romans 13:14

Discussion Questions

1. What are some examples in the Bible in which we can learn from Jesus’ life about how to love people (check out Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)?

2. What are the things you’re doing to benefit yourself rather than others? 

3. How can you accommodate or please your neighbors today to build them up?