We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. ~Romans 15:1 (NIV)
The term “bear with” means to endure, to put up with, to tolerate and even to suffer. None of those definitions fills us with excitement for the endeavor. The term endure just screams “hard times” to me. You know those seasons when you are struggling with your attitude and to stay on track in keeping in line with what you know is the will of God. The key to accomplishing Romans 15:1 is not the charge to bear but in becoming the person identified to carry out the charge. It’s becoming the “we who are strong” kind of people and “we who are strong” people are those who are accustomed to doing the hard things, the things God requires, the things that go against our human nature. I had a friend tell me once that more often than not she settles the battles in her mind of identifying God’s will in any situation by choosing the hardest option on the table. That type of mentality takes strength and an unwavering devotion to the Lord.
In the Romans 15:1 Paul is teaching that we deal with two different kinds of people in the world, the strong
and the weak and there is a very distinct difference between them. That difference is the Holy Spirit and His ability to have His way in their hearts. The more submitted we are to God’s Holy Spirit in us, the more we will be able to endure and live the example of Jesus’s character and nature to those around us. Paul was called to take the gospel to the Gentiles. He was called to share the new covenant that Jesus had inaugurated through His death and resurrection. A covenant of peace with God through Christ. Jesus had turned everyone’s entire world upside down so to speak. Jew or Gentile made no difference anymore. The message was “what are you going to do with Jesus?”. Paul through Christ had to present a message that could transform minds steeped in cultural mindsets and strongholds for generations. He also had to bear with them as they learned to grasp these truths and let go of old ways of thinking. He was humbly working with the Holy Spirit to win the people he was suffering for, tolerating, and bearing with to Christ! Let’s not lose sight that this is our call today as well. We can write devotions, feed the homeless and bring great talents to our churches and communities, but if we aren’t standing strong by bearing with the failings of the weak, we are not “doing” the word of God and we are walking in self-deception.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. ~James 1:22 (KJV)
Are you standing strong and bearing with the failings of the weak?
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