ROMANS 15:30-33 – “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE REFRESHING CHRISTIAN. Imagine the Apostle Paul wrote us a letter. Each of us got a personal note from him. They read like this . . . “I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.” Wow! How encouraging would that be? The greatest Christian who ever lived writes to affirm us that our walks with Jesus are marked by love, faithfulness, serving others, and God has used us to bring delight and refreshment to other believers. By the way, that is the exact letter another Christian received from Paul. His name was Philemon and what I just wrote was taken from the New Testament book bearing his name – (Philemon 4-7).
In today’s scripture, the Apostle writes to a group of believers in Rome that he has never met. Yet, he wants to and that with great desire – “so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company” (Romans 15:32).
He started his letter to them with the same longing of his heart – “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Romans 1:11-12). What was Paul’s motive to be with other Christians? Mutual encouragement and refreshment.
The Christian life is hard. We easily get discouraged, and God, in His love, gives us the strength to press on. It comes from His Son who walks with us, His Spirit bringing God’s Word alive in our lives, and the encouragement from other believers. Friends, we live the Christian life together in community; a community that loves, forgives, serves and refreshes others in the community. The question now becomes – are we refreshers or drainers in our relationships with other Christians. It must grieve our Father in heaven, exalted Jesus, and gentle Holy Spirit when we bring hurt and pain in our relationships with other Christians. We get critical, judgmental, and offer no spiritual refreshment to others. Instead of flocking together as healthy sheep, we isolate as sick sheep or are sheep who always are negative and discouraging.
So, how about that letter from Paul? Would we get such a glowing affirmation from him? May God help us strive to be refreshing Christians whom God will use to lift up His many hurting sheep.
PRAYER: “Father, make me a vehicle of refreshment to Your people, always edifying, always lifting us.”
QUOTE: “Build a reputation of being a Christian whose presence by others is enjoyed, not endured.”