Delight Yourself in the Lord Devotionals

Helping Others - Romans 15:1-13

The deepest desire of my heart is to help others. In fact, I am currently evaluating my career with that very purpose in mind. I receive the greatest fulfillment when I am making a difference...as I'm sure many of you do, as well.

We see in Romans 15 that Paul asks for strong Christians to do the same thing: to help others. The caveat here is the word "strong" because being a strong Christian isn't indicated by age or even by how long someone has been saved. It is important that we are aware of our weaknesses and our struggles and that we do not presume to speak things we don't understand, however, it is also vital that we are aware of our strengths and the strengths of those around us, regardless of age or how long they've been saved.

This also informs us that we must know God's Word for ourselves so that we can prevent believing false doctrines or false advice under the guise of "God told me to tell you...", which is the famous preamble used when people want to give their opinion weight. If it can't be backed Scripturally, take it with prayer and a grain of salt.

I feel that this verse, however, isn't in regards to helping someone with wisdom or advice, though one most assuredly can be helpful in that sense. The Message Translation puts it as, "How can I help?" and I think that tells a great deal about a person. Sometimes, helping is just listening. That's it. Being there for them to talk to and not giving advice. That can be difficult for those of us that want to offer advice, especially those in helping professions, such as Pastors, Elders, Counselors, Social Workers, Advisors...and so on.

If advice is asked for, ensure that you are offering true, godly advice, not your opinion thinly wrapped in language to sound spiritual. Be very careful what kind of help you offer, because it isn't about enabling, but about assisting the believer to go further in Christ. It is also the helps that feel like they don't have a spiritual aspect, though they really do, such as help with bills, moving, or groceries.

There is a saying that tells us, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." We as followers of Christ must ensure that we are showing who Christ is to those that come to us in need. This is done by helping in ways that we may feel are "beneath" us. Remember that Jesus washed His disciples feet. Our hearts and our help has to be Christ-like and we must establish Him as our example.

So reach out and welcome one another to God's glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! - Romans 15:7, MSG

Read all of Romans 15:1-13, the Message Translation, here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+15%3A1-13&version=MSG