Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Romans 15:7 NIV
If you look up the context to this passage, you will see that it falls in the middle of a long discourse on the need for Christians to serve one another. Christ is given as our example. The glory of God is the goal.
We are all made uniquely, with different gifts and abilities, strengths and weaknesses. I have come to understand more clearly in the past few years that my strongest gift is mercy. It is a truly wonderful gift, and I am deeply grateful to God that He has been allowing me to begin putting it into practice. It is satisfying in a way that nothing else in life satisfies to use one’s spiritual gifts.
But nothing is without struggle here on earth. We are prone not only to the greatest pride in this place of giftedness, but also to the greatest attacks of the enemy. It is no surprise that many Christians never employ their giftedness to their fullest capacity. It is dangerous territory.
I still feel self-conscious saying that I have a ministry. But I will explain ministry as this: to employ the giftedness that God has given me for His glory and the furtherance of His kingdom. This is real work, and in this work, I have come to accept that I am a minister of God’s grace. But often, the very gift that should most glorify God in my life has become a satisfaction in itself for me.
In some ways, my humanitarian nature is the biggest stumbling block to my ministry. Many times—in all honesty—most of the time, I am so consumed with the needs before me that I forget the bigger picture. I see suffering, and I want to pray. I see need, and I want to help. I would rather sit on a street curb and pray for someone than go out for dinner. But my goal is still so imperfect. My relief is often in the relief of others, my joy in theirs. It sounds nice. It sounds very “Mother Teresa” and humanitarian. But it falls short of the true goal, which is to glorify God.
This verse, like so many verses in the Bible, sums up the totality of all things: “in order to bring praise to God.” I know that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, and that I am growing in the Lord. But I also know with painful clarity that I am a long way from having the right heart. My inclination to find satisfaction in the temporal relief of the suffering of others keeps me from the better thing. With the help of God I must teach my heart to find a higher joy: the confession and adoration of Christ.
