The Selfless Servant

​Romans 15:1-3 ~ “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. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.’”
 
Are you strong, dear Christian? You have contended with much during your journey with Christ and have discovered time and again that the LORD has given you strength and grace. Now, with confidence in Christ Jesus, you look forward to the days ahead, not knowing what might come but knowing that no matter the condition, the LORD will be with you. Yet there are those around you who do not possess the confidence you hold. Shall you leave them to their circumstance or condemn them when they falter? Or, will you love them with the same patience with which the LORD loved you? They may not be able to reciprocate your kindness, but when you are willing to offer love without the expectation of love in return, you just freed yourself to love anyone in the world.
 
As we consider our text today, we first learn that we must abandon selfish priorities. We read, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” There is the belief that those who are strong in some capacity (physically, intellectually, emotionally, etc.) have the right to dominate those who are weak. The ancient adage of “survival of the fittest” is taken as an axiom for some. The opposite is true for the Christian. We see in our text that real love does not prioritize self. In fact, it cannot. We have an “obligation” which means that there is a debt upon us to do for them what Christ did for us—to bear patiently. Romans 13:8 states, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” When we look out to those who have a weak faith, an immature stature, and see them falter, it is upon those who are strong in Christ to stand beside them without any ulterior motives of self-promotion.
 
We continue looking at our text today and discover that we must adapt our lives to prioritize others. Our text continues, “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Much is made in this modern era of building up self rather than dying to self. Yet Jesus commanded that those who follow Him must do that very thing—die to self and live for Him (see Luke 9:23). In the very basic elements of the Christian life, dying to self often is reflected in the way in which you concern yourself with others. The best objective for your life is to connect with those around you for the purpose of building them up in Christ. This does not mean that you cater to the whims and fancies of those who are stubbornly refusing to submit themselves to Christ, but that you look to the weak among those who belong to Jesus and strive to bring them into a better fellowship with the LORD. For real love has, at its heart, a strong desire to see those around you encouraged and equipped for the rigors of a life that follows Christ. Paul spoke of Timothy in Philippians 2:19-20, “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.”
 
We conclude with the One who lived more sacrificially than any, and we must acknowledge the example of Christ. Our text for today says, “For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.’” The Lord Jesus stands as the supreme example of the life of love that we must express toward our fellow man. Even when that love is rejected and reproached, it does not alter our responsibility to share His love. He sets this command before His disciples in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” He illustrated this in the washing of the disciples’ feet—commanding that we do the same for each other (see John 13:14). Peter expresses this in 1 Peter 4:8, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” Even as our LORD faced the reproaches of this world, He continued to pour out His life. We may be reviled and despised for following Christ, but let us continue to do as the LORD commands, knowing that we are serving Him in following His example.
 
Dear reader, if you are a strong Christian and have overcome much in the way of sins and found the strength of Christ sustaining you through trials, then be that selfless servant to those who are weak in their faith, building them up until they are strong and stable in their walk with the LORD.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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