"Someone Needs Your Strength"

Scripture: "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves." -Romans 15:1, NIV

About two months ago, my wife and I moved into our home here in the Metropolitan DC area. While we were moving into our home, our POD from Greensboro came in and in this POD was our furniture, clothing, and our other belongings. Over the period of about two solid days, we managed to move a lot of the little stuff and even some big stuff out of the POD. However, I reached a standstill when I tried to get the base of our dining room table off the POD and I said to myself, "That's it". I'm going to have to get some help. That Wednesday night, we went to church and my pastor asked if we were completely moved in. Once we told him no, he asked one of my brethren to get some brothers to help me complete the job. Two nights later, my brother from the church and his son came and helped me and when we were done, the POD was empty and we were moved in. I tell this story because I could not get this done by myself and I did not have enough strength to handle it. There will be times in your life where you are going to need someone's strength. Whether it's physical strength, mental strength, financial strength, emotional strength, or any other type of strength, you are going to need it! Today's text explains who should receive your strength.

Our devotional journey today brings us back to Romans. On this past Monday, we dealt with the thought "How to Praise God Another Way" from Romans 15:7. Within this text, we talked about accepting one another as another means to praise God. It's fine and cool to get your praise on, but at the end of the day, can you get off your praise horse and accept the brother that is not dressed like you? Can you accept the sister that wore a dress just a little bit shorter than the norm because that's all she had? Can you accept the little boy who asks 1,000 questions a Sunday in Sunday School because this is the only education on the Word he understands? In this same light, the writer of this book, the Apostle Paul, wanted them to understand something else of importance six verses earlier.

Paul begins this particular scripture by saying "We who are strong". Sometimes, when we hear the word strong, we often think of one being physically strong, being able to pick up so much in one fell swoop. Others think of strength of being able to endure many things and not cracking. If truth were told, each one of us are strong in something. Because of that, Paul wanted their attention at the church in Rome and He wants our attention on today, by saying we who are strong. What does he want the strong to do?

The remainder of the text provides a clear answer. It tells us first that we "ought to bear with the failings of the weak". That's a powerful decree and statement! In other words, we need to help someone in their times of weakness. We ought to keep them lifted up in prayer while they are suffering. Many of us are very good at being there for someone when a friend has experienced death in their family, but can the same be said when someone needs a shoulder to lean because they lost their job? We are very good at picking up the phone and talking to brothers and sisters about much to do about nothing, but can we minister to someone's soul when they need you? We are awesome at picking up some canned goods and things for a church Thanksgiving Food Drive, but can we be strong enough to help someone in our community who's struggling? God is looking for His people, with the strength He has given them, to step up and help those who have fallen on their luck and help those who are spiritually weak! As the Uncle Sam sign use to say, GOD NEEDS YOU and YOUR STRENGTH!

Not only does God need our strength to bear with the failings of the weak, but He needs us to use our strength where we are "not to please ourselves". One thing we have a very bad habit of doing is telling the world when we helped somebody and how good it made us feel. It's cool to feel good about it, but remember you are doing it to please Almighty God and not yourselves! When you tell the world what you did for someone, your blessing has been received. When you do things and do not tell a soul, then God can really bless you! He tells us that "what you do in secret, God will bless you in open". It's on you, my brother, and you, my sister, to bless others with your strength and do it to the Glory of God! When you do it to the Glory of God, watch how your brother/sister you helped will grow and eventually, bless the Father for you!

In closing, remember that you do not go through things in life for yourself. Someone will need your story to understand if God did it for you, then He can do it for them. Within today's text, Paul advises us to provide our strength, from our struggles and growth and life, to ought to bear with the failings of the weak and to do it in a manner where it does not please ourselves. Continue to give your best to God by being there for your brother and sister! Watch what He will do for you!