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Godly Pursuits!!

You will hear a lot of things said about what the marks of spiritual maturity are. I think that one of the most important marks of spiritual maturity is the willingness to sacrifice personal comfort in order to strengthen others. Look at our verse today:

"Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another." Romans 14:19

Notice that Paul uses the words pursue and edify. To pursue means to passionately focus one's undistracted effort toward a goal. Here Paul urges Christians to pursue only activities that promote peace and behavior that builds others up. This is not a casual matter either. It involves using all the resources God has given us to ensure growth and peace in the life of a fellow Christian. To the Colossian church, Paul wrote that he labored, "striving...to present every man perfect in Christ." (Col 1:28-29). This took concentration and effort.

The word edify means to "build up." For Paul, choosing to edify Christians meant refraining from any activity that caused others to stumble. Paul did not concern himself with his own rights or comforts because his greater priority, over his personal freedom, was to lead others to Christian maturity. See 1 Corinth. 14:12,26. I think that this is also how Jesus related to His disciples. If you read John 15:13 you would notice that Jesus taught them that they could express no greater love than to lay down their lives for one another.

As Christians, we ought to be so devoted to strenghtening one another's faith that we pursue this goal relentlessly, even if it means laying down our lives for one another. This behavior even characterized the early churches. This is what love should be like among God's people!

Friends, as God reveals to you what fellow Christians around you need in order to grow in their faith, be prepared to make the necessary sacrifice on behalf of them!

May God richly bless you today!! H Trent.

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