<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Romans 15;1-3<div><br></div><div><b>1. &nbsp;We who are strong to bear with the failings of the week, and not to please ourselves;</b></div><div><b>2. &nbsp;Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him.</b></div><div><b>3. &nbsp;For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b>Do you think when Paul writes, “<i>Let each of us please his neighbor,” &nbsp;</i>he means, “Just give everyone what they want”?</div><div><br></div><div>No, for the verse goes on to say, “…<i>for his good, to edify him.”</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>To ‘do good’ may mean, “Speak a sharp rebuke to the neighbor who is doing wrong.” &nbsp;</div><div>To, ‘edify’ means, ‘Build up in Christ and in the Truth of God.’</div><div><br></div><div>This means, we seek to&nbsp;please our friend&nbsp;the ‘new-man’ who is born anew in Christ, not the old carnal self-centered man who is bent on self-destruction.<br><br>Such godly ‘pleasing’ of others may very well involve making someone upset with you for correcting or offending&nbsp;them.</div><div><br></div><div>But, if we see a friend in Christ who is&nbsp;blind to their own&nbsp;sin headed for harm to their soul or others,&nbsp;we must risk their anger at us for their own good. &nbsp;This is what Paul means when he says, <i>“not to please ourselves.” &nbsp;</i>We are not trying to avoid risking a friendship. &nbsp;God’s Truth takes priority over superficial false unity and only outward&nbsp;peace with a friend.</div><div><br></div><div><i>“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” </i>(Proverbs 27;6)</div><div><br></div><div>Whatever anger or hate we must endure for the sake of speaking the truth in love to someone, is actually our own sharing in the sufferings of Christ.</div><div><br></div><div>In truth, when we do love someone enough to speak the truth to them and risk their anger, it really is not us who is doing it, but Christ by the Holy Spirit inspiring such ‘risky love.’ &nbsp;Then we together in and with Christ are partaking of the reproaches leveled at Him/us. &nbsp;We truly share in Christ’s sufferings.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, grant us such divine&nbsp;love and courage to speak the Truth to others for their blessing and edification. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Romans 15;1-3
1.  We who are strong to bear with the failings of the week, and not to please ourselves;2.  Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him.3.  For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me.”

Do you think when Paul writes, “Let each of us please his neighbor,”  he means, “Just give everyone what they want”?
No, for the verse goes on to say, “…for his good, to edify him.”
To ‘do good’ may mean, “Speak a sharp rebuke to the neighbor who is doing wrong.”  To, ‘edify’ means, ‘Build up in Christ and in the Truth of God.’
This means, we seek to please our friend the ‘new-man’ who is born anew in Christ, not the old carnal self-centered man who is bent on self-destruction.

Such godly ‘pleasing’ of others may very well involve making someone upset with you for correcting or offending them.
But, if we see a friend in Christ who is blind to their own sin headed for harm to their soul or others, we must risk their anger at us for their own good.  This is what Paul means when he says, “not to please ourselves.”  We are not trying to avoid risking a friendship.  God’s Truth takes priority over superficial false unity and only outward peace with a friend.
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” (Proverbs 27;6)
Whatever anger or hate we must endure for the sake of speaking the truth in love to someone, is actually our own sharing in the sufferings of Christ.
In truth, when we do love someone enough to speak the truth to them and risk their anger, it really is not us who is doing it, but Christ by the Holy Spirit inspiring such ‘risky love.’  Then we together in and with Christ are partaking of the reproaches leveled at Him/us.  We truly share in Christ’s sufferings.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, grant us such divine love and courage to speak the Truth to others for their blessing and edification.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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