This lesson tonight can be most
helpful to us. Practical godliness, practical
obedience. And I hope you'll listen carefully
to it. I hope it'll be a blessing to
me and to you. We begin with verse 1 now, Romans
15. We then that are strong Now the apostle in this chapter
continues his exhortation to mutual affection and unity and
fellowship among believers. Now he's not talking about a
unity of all religious people like the ecumenical movement
of this day. That's not what Paul is talking
about in Romans 14 and 15 at all. He's not talking about bringing
all religions together, no, all religious people together. Our
Lord condemned the religious pharisee of his day. He told
his disciples to leave them alone. He said they're blind leaders
of the blind. The Apostle Paul condemned people
who departed from the gospel. He said let them be accursed. He said if any man come preaching
any other gospel, he didn't say try to get along with him because
he was religious. He said, let him be a curse,
even if it's an angel from heaven. If he preached another gospel,
let him be a curse. So when we talk about unity and
when we talk about mutual affection, we're not talking about getting
all religious bodies together. We're not talking about a unity
of all religious people. We're talking of strong affection
between believers. We're talking about strong fellowship
and unity among those who love the gospel. Those who love and
know the Lord Jesus Christ. We're talking about a unity and
fellowship among those who find their peace in the satisfaction
of Christ. Now that's what we're talking
about in chapter 14, and that's what the Apostle is talking about
in chapter 15. You're not going to be able to
get people together some of whom believe Christ was the Son of
God and some who believe he's not the Son of God. You're not
going to get people together, some of whom believe that man
is totally depraved and others who believe he's slightly wounded.
You're not going to get all religious people together in unity and
fellowship and affection, some of whom believe that sacrifice
of Christ is sufficient to save and some who believe that it
takes something added to Christ to save. And that's not what
Paul's talking about here at all. He's talking about a unity
of believers. He's talking about a mutual affection
of those who love Christ. He's talking about a unity among
those who find their joy in the gospel of substitution. For he himself, as I said, and
our Master himself condemned strongly and had no tolerance
at all for those who departed from the gospel. Christ called
them a generation of vipers. And Paul said, let them be accursed. He called them ministers of Satan. Now then, we then that are strong,
and who's that talking about? He's not just talking about the
apostles, the disciples. He's not even talking about the
ministers of the gospel only, or Bible teachers. We then who
are strong. He's talking about mature He's
talking about many of you right here tonight. You're strong in
Christ. You're strong in faith. You're
strong in the liberties of Christ. You're settled in the gospel.
Some of you have been converted for many years. You've known
Christ for many years. You've studied the Word of God
for many years. You're strong in the faith. He's
talking to you. Now, we then that are strong,
ought to bear the infirmities of the weak. Now the weak here
are the babes in Christ. These are new believers. Also,
these are those who are weak in faith. The main reference
here, as we look back at chapter 14, the main reference is to
those who have recently been converted, especially Jews, and
who have a problem with meats which have been forbidden in
the Mosaic law, who have trouble with the observance of certain
days, holy days, feast days. And that's the main application
here, that's the particular reference here, is to those who are called
weak in the faith because they do not enjoy the liberties of
Christ. They're still bound by those
customs and traditions which they had been bound for many,
many, many years. But we can't just apply it to
that alone. And that's the reason I say that
the weak here are the weak in faith who are not to be considered
as troublemakers. They're not to be considered
as enemies of the gospel, nor as your enemies. But those with
infirmities and those with weakness of faith are to be considered
as brethren, and we are to bear their infirmities. If you turn
to 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Corinthians 13, Paul tells us that the grace
of love bears all things. He says in 1 Corinthians 13,
love, verse 4, suffereth long, and it's Love envieth not. Love vaunteth not itself, is
not puffed up, puffed up with knowledge, puffed up with pride,
and puffed up with spiritual attainments. It does not behave
itself unseemly, and seeketh not her own. That's what we're
talking about in verse 1. We then that say we're mature
in Christ, and strong in the faith, and been saved a long
time, We have weak brethren, we have babes in Christ in our
congregation, we have new believers, and we are to bear their weaknesses,
and bear their mistakes, and bear their infirmities, and bear
their errors, not pleasing ourselves. Now read on in 1 Corinthians
13, verse 6. Love does not rejoice in iniquity. It does not rejoice in repeating
a slander. It does not rejoice in repeating
a morsel of gossip. It rejoices not in iniquity,
it rejoices in the truth. It loves to tell the truth. It
beareth all things. Love beareth all things. Love believeth all things. Love hopeth all things. Love endureth all things. Love, the apostles said, covers
a multitude of infirmities, a multitude of sins. a multitude of shortcomings. We then that are strong, mature
believers, ought to bear the infirmities of weak believers,
their failures, their mistakes, their stumblings, and not to
try to only please ourselves. Actually, our desire, first of
all, is to make Christ known. That's why we're on the radio.
That's why we have missionaries. That's why we preach here Sunday
after Sunday, to make Christ known, to bring others to a saving
knowledge of Christ. But that's not the only thing
that we want. We not only want to bring people
to a saving knowledge of Christ, but we want to see them grow
in that knowledge. We want to see them develop in
that grace. We were children one time. We
were babes in Christ one time. Often we forget that. There was
a time when we were weak. There was a time when we were
error-prone. There was a time when we were
weak in faith, and we were helped to reach a measure of maturity
by the patience and edification and help of somebody else. And
we ought to remember that, and to bear the infirmities of the
weak, not pleasing ourselves. But look at verse 2. Let every
one of us please his neighbor or his brother for his good to
edification. Let me give you a better translation
of verse 2. Look at verse 2 a minute now in King James. Let every
one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. Now a better translation is this.
Listen. Let each one of us make it a practice to make his brother
in Christ happy for his good and for his true welfare. to
strengthen him and to build him up spiritually. That's what we're
to want to do, that's what we're to make an effort to do, that's
what we're to try to do. Make somebody else happy. Encourage and edify the new Christian. Encourage and edify the weak
brother. Instead of going out of your
way to avoid when he's in the wrong, when he makes a mistake,
when he stumbles and falls. Go out of your way to make him
welcome. And go out of your way to make
him feel a part of your fellowship. And go out of your way to make
him feel that you love him. Please not yourself. I mean, how many of us really
try to do that? Really try to do that. Let every
one of us please his brother. Make him happy for his good. Not for our good, not for our
happiness, not for our pleasure, but for his pleasure. To edification. Look at verse 3. For even Christ
pleased not himself. For even Christ pleased not himself. But he came to do the Father's
will. He said, I came not to do my will, but the will of him
that sent me. That's why I came down here.
I came down here to do the Father's will and to accomplish your redemption. Our Lord became a man for us. Our Lord obeyed the law for us. Our Lord died on the cross for
us. Our Lord was buried and rose
again for us. Our Lord ascended to the right
hand of God where he is the intercessor for us. Our Lord coming back
again for us. He said, I came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister. While I was studying this passage
of Scripture and thinking about teaching it tonight, I tried
to weigh my own day-by-day action and behavior. How much of it
is self-centered and family-centered? How much do I think about somebody
else besides myself and my immediate family circle? How many people
outside of my own personal interest am I putting forth any effort
at all to make happy? Now you think about that. Even Christ, please, not himself,
but as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproach thee fell
on me. What's that say? By reproaches
I meant sins, the sins of his people. The sins of his people
against God fell on him. Not his sins, he had none. My
sins. A stranger, an alien, a foreigner,
an enemy by nature, that's right, outside the commonwealth of Israel,
even my sins fell on him. Let every one of us please his
brother in Christ, for his good to edification. For even Christ
pleased not himself. He who was rich for our sakes
became poor. Since last Lord's Day, how many
people have you been in contact with? How many people have you
encouraged? How many people have you greeted? How many people have you shaken
hands with and wished them well? How many people have you actually
conveyed from your heart some affection for, and some understanding,
and some word of comfort, and some well-wish? It's wise to
think about those things. Because when we're taking care
of our own family circle, we're really taking care of ourselves.
We're really just taking care of ourselves. We're really self-motivated
and self-centered and self-interested. And it is not for the glory of
God. It is fulfilling a personal duty
for ourselves. That's the reason Christ said
we love our neighbors ourselves, because he knows we love ourselves.
He knows we love ourselves, and if he can get us motivated toward
somebody outside of ourselves, as we're motivated toward ourselves,
we'll accomplish the glory of God, such as Christ did. He came
down here to die for enemies. Verse 4 says, "...for whatsoever
things were written aforetime," or back in the Old Testament,
were written for our learning. Now, verse 3, was a quotation from Psalm 69,
verse 9. And the reason Paul wrote verse
4 there, for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning, Paul says that because he is saying that the
Old Testament was not just written for David and about David and
Isaiah But the Old Testament was written about Christ for
us. For us. And that's the reason
when I teach this 15th and 14th chapter, I know the primary reference
is to eating of meat and the keeping of holy days. Paul was
writing it about a problem that exists in the church at Corinth.
But if you leave it only dealing with that problem, it will make
no application at all to you because we don't have that problem.
But the word of God wasn't meant to be applied only to a single
incident. It's broad enough and long enough
and deep enough to reach even our own problems with the same
words. Barnard used to say it's bifocal.
It has a primary meaning, a cause for which it was written, and
then it has also a far-reaching meaning. And Paul is saying that
these things written a four times, like written, actually Psalm
69, 9 was written about David, but it was written about Christ.
David wrote it about Christ, and it's for our learning, it's
to instruct us in the knowledge of redemption, in the person
of Christ, in his offices, in his work, in his atonement. Now
look on verse 4, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures
might have hope that by perseverance and encouragement through the
scriptures we might have a strong hope. Now listen to me. The more
we become acquainted with this book, the Word of God, and the
precious promises and the faithful provisions of the Word, the stronger
will be our hope in Christ. The Apostle Peter says, desire
the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow. The more we
become acquainted with this book, the more we're going to grow
strong in hope in Christ and a confidence of eternal life.
And then verse 5 and 6, Paul prays a prayer for these people.
He does this twice in this 15th chapter, first 13 verses. Paul
knows that when we're commanded to love one another, just what
I said a minute ago about having an interest in somebody else,
having affection for somebody else, having a deep personal
burden for somebody else, besides yourself. It doesn't come by
nature. It comes only as a gift of God. It comes only through the working
of the Holy Spirit. Paul knows that. And while he's
commanding us to do these things, he at the same time is praying
that God might do something for us and enable us to do it. and
give us the grace to do it. It doesn't come by nature. And
that's the reason he starts praying in verse 5. And he prays this,
Now the God of patience. Here's a prayer Paul prayed for
you and me. Now stop right there. The God
of patience. Long suffering. This is God's attribute. God's
been patient with Adam's race. God's been patient with His church,
and God's been patient with you, and God's been patient with me.
God has borne my sins, and God has heard my cries, and God has
forgiven my iniquities, and God has healed my backsliding. He's
a God of patience. And the God of consolation, that's
the God of comfort. All real, honest, true, solid
comfort comes from God, and none anywhere else. It comes from
God. He comforts us in every trial. He stands by us in every failing. He encourages us in every mistake. Now then, look at the next line.
Grant you to be like-minded toward one another. Now, let's apply
what I just said. Now, the God of patience, God
of patience, God has been patient with Adam's race, with his church,
and with you and me. God has, can you agree with this,
borne our sins. Then you bear somebody else's.
He has forgiven our iniquities. You'd be like-minded. He has
healed our backsliding. You do the same thing. He has
heard our cries. He has soothed our pains. He
has borne our burdens. Now he says, you grant, God grant
that you do the same thing toward one another. Look at the next
line, the God of comfort. What does that mean? All real,
true, solid comfort comes from God. He comforts me in my trials. He stands by me in my successes? No, sir, in my failures. He encourages me in my righteousness,
in my mistakes. It's easy to be a friend of a
successful person. It's easy to be friends with
a popular person. It's easy to be the sidekick
and companion of one who doesn't need you. But we needed God. And he says, may the God whose
attribute is patient and comfort grant you to have the same grace
toward one another. There's a verse over in Galatians
chapter 6, and I think we need, we've got these little slogans,
Christ is the head of this house and the guest at every meal,
and it's a lot of malarkey most of the time. And only one life
will soon be past, just what I do for Christ's good luck."
We need verses like this in our home. Galatians 6, 1, "...Rather,
if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore
such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou
also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ." That's the kind of slogan we
need put up. We need something to remind us. of what kind of
people we ought to be toward other people. Not just something
bragging on our faith all the time, but something to encourage
us and to rebuke us and to send us forth to show the spirit of
our Lord in our attitude toward other people. Look back at verse
6 or verse 5 in the prayer. The God of patience grants you
to be patient. The God of comfort grants you
to be a comfort. toward one another. That last
line says, according to Christ Jesus. I think it's two things. Turn to John 13. I think, first
of all, it means this. You be like-minded according
to the commandment of Jesus Christ. In John 13, verse 34. A new commandment I give unto
you, that you love one another. as I have loved you, that's how,
as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this
shall all men know you are my disciples, if you love one another
according to the commandment of Christ. You be like mine.
And also, I think the second thing it means is this, according
to the example of Christ. For my friends, when I have borne
all the heartache caused by somebody else. When I have borne all the
hard words that fall from the lips of somebody else, when I
have borne all the disappointment that can be heaped upon me, when
I have borne all the slander and all the desertions that my
friends can dish out, I still haven't borne what Christ bore
for me, nor what he has borne from me." Huh? Or from me? Turn to Matthew 18. How much is a fellow supposed
to take? Well, Peter asked the Lord that. He said in Matthew
18, verse 21, then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how often
shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Shall I forgive
him seven times? And Jesus said unto him, I say
not unto thee unto seven times, but unto seventy times seven. And somebody said, one time if
you forgive a fellow that many times, you'll be so in the habit
of forgiving him, you'll just do it second nature. But that's what Paul is praying.
When he goes through, we the strong ought to bear the infirmities
of the weak, not please ourselves. Set out to satisfy ourselves,
do what we want to do, have things as we want to have them, have
our daily comfort and our daily provisions. Let's, verse 2, let's
Go out of our way to please somebody else. Make somebody happy. Or
even Christ please, not himself. And he turns around and starts
praying. He said that God of patience and comfort grants you
to be that way, because you'll never be that way by yourself.
It'll have to be a work of grace. It'll have to be a work of grace. Verse 6, that you keep, he's
still praying, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify
God. Now God is glorified, I looked
up John Gill on this and he gave a good statement, God is glorified
when the perfections of his nature are ascribed to him, when his
people know him as he is. And when they ascribe the attributes
and characteristics and perfections of his nature to him, when they
intelligently know who God is. And when His people take notice
of the work of His hands, that glorifies God. And when praise
is offered for His mercy, that glorifies God. When Christ is
trusted, when Christ is believed, when Christ is exalted, that
glorifies God. When people join together in
a solemn worship of Him, presenting in His presence their bodies
and their hearts to Him, when their lives and attitude and
conversation and affections are agreeable to his calling, that
glorifies him. And God cannot be glorified in
that way unless people are one in heart and one in doctrine. And that's what he's saying in
verse 6. God grant that you may be patient,
long-suffering, tender, affectionate, kind, and comfortable toward
others, that you may with one mind, that's doctrine, knowledge,
and one mouth, glorify God, that's unity, even the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. All right, watch verse 7. Wherefore
receive ye one another, as Christ also received you and me to the
glory of God. Receive one another. What does
that mean? It means to receive one another into your hearts,
into your affections. Embrace one another in true Christian
love, whether Jew or Gentile, whether young or old, whether
weak in the faith or strong in the faith, whether a babe in
Christ or an elder in the body of Christ. Receive ye one another. That doesn't mean to receive
somebody with a right hand of church fellowship and put his
name on a roll and say, now you're one of us. No, he's not one of
us until he's in your heart, until he begins to live in your
mind, until he begins to live in your prayers, until he begins
to live in your consideration, until he begins to live in your
affections, until he begins to be a part of your daily thinking.
That's when you're one of us. And some of us have never been that way. How did Christ receive
us? He says, Receive ye one another
as Christ received us. How'd he receive you? How'd Christ
receive you? He received me just like I was.
That's how he received me. Unlovely, weak, sinful. having all the infirmities of
human nature, that's how he received me. It says over here in the
book of Ephesians that I was, chapter 2 of Ephesians, it says
I was, I walked according to the course of this world. I had
my conversation in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind. I was by nature a child of wrath,
even as others, but God received me. Even when I was dead in sins,
He received me. He quickened me. He quickened
me together with Christ. That's how God received me. With
all the infirmities of my human nature, He received me. With
all the failures of my human heart, He received me. With all
of the stumblings, He received me. Now Paul says, wherefore,
as Christ received you, you receive one another. Look at the next
line, to the glory of God. Now I've got a little help somewhere
else now, to the glory of God. I thought this was beautiful.
When Jesus Christ received me in my unloveliness, in my infirmities,
with all my failures, he glorified the mercy of his Father. He glorified
the grace and the longsuffering of his God. He glorified the
love of God. Now we can do the same thing
in showing that grace and that love which God had shed abroad
in our hearts to one another. I can glorify God. Every transgression
that I forgive will glorify my Father. Every infirmity that
I am by God's grace enabled to overlook will glorify not me,
it's not I, but Christ that liveth in me will glorify my Lord. Every
hand that I am enabled to reach out and take, no matter how dirty
it is, or stained it is, or sinful it is, and with a true Christian
affection embrace it and encourage and comfort it, I'll bring glory
to my Father. Every sinner that Christ ever
lifted from the dunghill and put him on the throne by his
grace brought glory to God. And every time I'm enabled by
God to do the same thing. That's what Paul says here. Wherefore
you receive one another as Christ received you to the glory of
God. If our actions toward one another
are just words and doctrines. I don't sign my letters. Now
you may think I'm splitting hairs here. I get letters from preachers
and and others that sign it, love in Christ and your friend
in Christ and these things, those are so easy to say, they're just
words. And I don't use them. If I love somebody, I'll just
sign love. And if our actions toward one
another are just words and stereotype phrases and doctrines, it indicates
that the grace of God is just a doctrine with us and not an
experience, and not a feeling, and not an affection. If all
we have is the grace of God in doctrine, we're dead as a pine
nut. If all in the world that we have
is the affection of Christ in word, then we're just as dead
as yesterday's newspaper. This thing has got to be a living
experience. It's got to be a vital, personal,
daily experience. It's got to be a heart that beats
for somebody, and a heart that cares for somebody, and a hand
that automatically, by God's grace, reaches out to somebody,
and a care for somebody. If it's not there, then we don't
know the God of grace. I believe that. I believe that
with all my heart. Not to love is not to know God. Not to forgive is not to know
Christ. And not to have the spirit of
grace and mercy toward somebody else other than myself is to
be dead in sin. No matter how religious I am,
no matter how orthodox I am, no matter how fundamental I am,
a parrot can memorize scripture. receive ye one another as Christ
received us to the glory of God. That's practical godliness. That's
practical godliness. That's separation from the world,
because the world doesn't think that way, and the world doesn't
act that way, and the world's not motivated that way. We think
and we act and we're motivated by a principle the world doesn't
know anything about, and the world calls it foolishness. foolishly. Now verse 8 through
12, and I'm going to skip this because these four verses, you
can read them yourself, they declare one thing. They would
declare the grace and love of Christ to both Jew and Gentile.
Verse 8 talks about he's a minister to the circumcision, and verse
9 through 12, quoting different verses of scripture from the
Old Testament, shows that God long ago planned mercy for the
Gentile according to all the Old Testament prophecies quoted
here. And now verse 13, Paul gets right back on his subject
again. Now the God of hope fills you, fills you personally, fills
you. I can't do this for Doris. I
can't do this for Becky. I can't do this for Jack Huddle. I can't do this for Ronnie. God's
going to have to do it. No matter how close they are,
and how much you love them, and how you want for them the most
precious things of God, may the God of hope fill you. My light's not going to burn
for you. My heart's not going to beat in your place, and your
chest is going to beat in mine. The tears that fall from my eyes
for somebody else won't fall from your eyes. You're going
to have to manufacture your own. And it has to be manufactured
from your own heart. It won't work the other way.
Now, the God of hope fill you. You know, He's mentioned in verse
5, the God of patience and comfort. Now He calls Him the God of hope.
Look back at verse 5. It says, May the God of patience
grant you, and the God of comfort grant you. Now, verse 13, the
God of hope fill you. Fill you. He's the author and
giver of hope. Men by nature don't have any
hope. They're without God and without hope in the world. God's
an object of hope. It's not my strength, it's not
my wealth, it's not my riches, it's not my righteousness, but
God in Christ is my hope. And he says, May the God of hope
fill you. Fill you with what? Fill you
with joy. Fill you with joy and peace in
believing. Now the apostle knows that all
of his exhortations and all of his commandments and all of his
wishes and all of his concerns are all going to be useless unless
the grace of God accompanies them. And these graces of the
Spirit only come through believing. The God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace in believing. Faith and joy go together. Faith
and peace go together. Where faith increases, joy increases. Where faith increases, peace
increases. There is no true joy where there
is no true faith. Maybe that's why we don't have
any joy. There's no true peace when there's
no faith. May that bring you no end to
peace. It says, May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing. Believing what? Believing Christ. Believing Christ. Believing his gospel. Believing
his sacrifice. Believing his intercession. Believing
his purpose. Believing his care. Believing
his presence. May the God of hope fill you
with joy. Maybe that's why we don't have
any joy. We don't have any faith. Maybe
that's why we don't have any peace. You know the heart of
the unbelievers like to trouble see. Maybe we are not believers. Maybe that's the reason our hearts
are like to trouble see. Maybe that's why we don't love
other people. Maybe that's why our hearts don't
beat with true affection for somebody else. Maybe that's why
we're so under God self-centered. We don't have any faith. Maybe
we've discovered why we're that way. We don't have faith. For if we have faith, if faith
increases, joy increases. If faith increases, peace increases. If faith increases, love increases. Confidence, assurance, everything
is based on faith. That's the reason Christ said,
Peter, I've prayed for you that your faith fail not. Your faith! What may we do that we may work
the works of God? The works of God are that you
believe in him whom God has sent. That's what's all built on. That's
what's the foundation of the whole building is faith. That's
how you get in the kingdom of God, that's how you stay in the
kingdom of God, if you continue in faith. It didn't matter what
Israel did in the wilderness, they didn't enter Canaan because
of unbelief. It's the whole story. That you may abound in hope,
hope's based on faith. joy, peace, hope, and believing. But it all comes in closing through
the power of the Holy Ghost. It's not by might, it's not by
power of man, it's by my Spirit, saith the Lord. The first work
of regenerations by the Holy Spirit, gift of repentance and
confession of sins by the Holy Spirit, The knowledge of Christ
and faith in Christ is by the Holy Spirit. The power that is
necessary to cause my grace to grow and the knowledge of Christ
to increase is by the Holy Spirit. It wouldn't hurt us to pray that
the Holy Spirit would shed abroad God's love in our heart. Paul
tells every believer what the mercy of God will do for him.
He tells every believer what the results of this grace will
manifest in his life, and he exhorts every believer to abound
in these graces. And then he turns and cries,
O may the God of patience make you patient. May the God of comfort
give you a broken heart, and may the God of hope fill you
with joy and peace in believing through the Holy Ghost. through
the Holy Ghost. Our Father in Heaven, we know
that it's not by might nor by power. We know that it's not
by the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but it's a birth
from above. It's a regenerating, heart-changing,
new nature by the power of Thy Holy Spirit that makes us to
love Christ more than life itself. that rest our feet firmly not
upon a doctrine but a person, that bathes us in the precious
blood of the Son of God, that knits our hearts to others who
love Him, who trust Him, who believe on Him, that give us
a kindred spirit, that make our hearts beat as one, and our hands
to reach out to one another in the embrace of Christian affection. That's the work of Thy Holy Spirit.
And if we are anything, if we have anything, even the slightest
measure of faith in Christ, or maturity, or any evidence of
spiritual growth, it's not us. It's not in us. But it's Christ
that liveth in us. And we pray. Help us to pray
sincerely. And if we don't mean it, help
us not to pray it. But we pray, and help us to pray
in honesty. We pray that I break our hearts,
and wean us from self-love and self-righteousness and selfish
desires, and turn our thoughts on somebody else, and help us
to forget our cares and our burdens and start bearing somebody else's
burden, sharing their griefs and bearing their trials and
walking in their steps. For even Christ pleased not himself,
but the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on him. Make us to be more like Christ
and less like the world. We ask it in his name and for
his sake. Amen.