The Sanctifying Presence Of The One Who Is Full Of Grace

“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Romans 15:1-3

Paul continually moves Christ into the center of Christian fellowship. For Paul, decisions concerning life and ministry are to be made based on the reality of the living Savior who is with us. Jesus, who is in our midst, is to be our ultimate example, whose loving character we must confess and imitate.

For Paul, there is always an unseen person present in every conversation and activity. Jesus, the all–knowing and all–loving Lord and Savior is that unseen companion. In the community of faith, we must continuously acknowledge his presence, making room for him.

As we recognize the unseen person of Jesus standing in our midst, every word and action is weighed in the light of that reality. His presence is to bring a humble reverence and submission of heart, realizing that whatever strength we might have is his loving gift to us.

He is with us, therefore through his grace, we bear with the failings of the weak, knowing that he has so graciously carried our failings. We carry each other’s burdens always looking to impart edification, wanting to bless those nearest to us.  

A consciousness of his gracious self-giving presence brings a vigilance over our conversations because we want to please the One who bled and died for us. We no longer seek to please ourselves but rather we seek to please our neighbor, wanting to bless them and encourage them in their walk with Christ.

A thoughtfulness of the need for holiness must control our hearts and minds as we purposefully move the One we love and serve into the center of all our life’s encounters. Our conversations are sanctified as by faith we see Jesus, walking among his children, listening and evaluating our every interaction, spurring us on to a maturity of faith.  

We offer an abundance of grace out of the ocean of grace that we ourselves have received. This generosity flows out of faith’s perception that the One who is with us did not please himself but took upon himself the insults of those who insulted us.  

Paul’s words remind us of Jesus own words, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Mat 18:20). He is with us in our fellowship; therefore we choose to allow our interactions to be sanctified by his presence.