Strong or weak? Both (Romans 15)—Memory Monday

Learned last week:
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.
Romans 15:1-2

Which one are you? The strong or the weak?

I’m both.

Because I have God’s Spirit in me, I have a certain strength that others without Him don’t have. So it’s my responsibility to “lend a hand to those who falter” (The Message). And not just be concerned with exercising my own freedoms, with what makes me happy.

But I also feel very weak at times. Especially lately. And I need others to bear with me when I’m most vulnerable to my own thoughts and emotions that may or may not be based on truths.

In other words, I can’t live out Romans 15 alone.

I need serious weight-training—lifting others up through Christ’s strength to build my spiritual muscles.

And I also need trained spiritual athletes to be patient with me when I drag down the pace because my conscience is troubled.

I can’t go it alone.
You can’t either.
We need to do this together.

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Learning this week:
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
Psalm 103:1-4

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Are you memorizing scripture this week? Join us at Joanne’s for Memory Monday.