“Therefore Accept one another, just as Christ
also accepted us to the Glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 12:25

WOULDN’T IT BE WONDERFUL IF … people Accepted you, helped Bear your Burdens, Cared for you, Devoted themselves to you, Encouraged you, Forgave you when you needed it, and just all around Loved you? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be part of such a Fellowship where people treated you that way? Now, wouldn’t  that be Wonderful! God thinks it is wonderful. To such an extent He has told us in His Word this is how we are to live in our relationship to ONE ANOTHER! This is How God wants His fellowship to be. Consider with me these Verses

 1. ACCEPT One Another; Rom 15:7 “Therefore Accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the Glory of God.” To Accept is to RECEIVE to one self with SPECIAL concern. To ACCEPT one another with love and without reservation. Paul uses this word to Philemon to lovingly take back the runaway slave Onesimus “accept him as you would me”- Philemon 17. And don’t forget  Philemon OWED Paul his life!!

2. BEAR ON ANOTHER’S BURDENS – Gal 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”
When my dad died, the hearse stopped outside a church in Ireland and I had to get the casket up some steps into the building. The casket was too heavy, too big, for me to carry alone, I could not do it alone. Five men stepped up and stood at each side of the casket and helped me lift my dad’s casket onto my shoulder and also they too got underneath it and placed their weight under the casket and together we lifted it and carried it. This is What it means to bear someone’s burden, to get underneath it and help.

3. CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER-1 Cor 12:25 “…that the members may have the same CARE for one another.”
God gives each member spiritual gifts to be used to express CARE towards others. Each member in the body is important enough for the Father to give His SON and the Son to lay down His life for them and God wants you to CARE for them

4. DEVOTE YOURSELVES TO ONE ANOTHER – Rom 12:10 “Be DEVOTED to one another in brotherly Love.”
The word “devoted” speaks of family ties. Since we are members of God’s family by His doing we are to be committed to loving each other, to be “devoted” to it. The Scripture teaches we are to “Devote ourselves to prayer”-Col 4:2

5. ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER- Heb 3:13 “But ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER DAY AFTER DAY, as long as it is still called TODAY…”
Now here’s a big one! Encouragement. Barnabus took sides with Paul just after his conversion when people were not sure about this one who had persecuted the believers. He took sides with John Mark when Paul did not want him traveling with him. The Scripture teaches “day after day as long as it is called “TODAY” we are to encourage one another. There is never a point in time that you live in that is not part of “TODAY.” God desires you ENCOURAGE others TODAY! Encourage with your words, encourage with your identification, encourage the fainthearted, encourage by doing good towards others. There is no where in the Scripture where we are commanded to Discourage one another, and how often we seem to be “blessed” with the “gift of discouragement” and complaining!!! Encourage -The root meaning has to do with “COMING ALONGSIDE TO GIVE HELP.”

5. FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER- Eph 4:32 “Be kind to one another … FORGIVING EACH OTHER, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
Isn’t it wonderful to be forgiven! To have had the penalty and guilt of our sins completely and eternally removed through the Blood of the Lord Jesus. And God who completely and wholeheartedly releases and sends away our sins wants us to Forgive one another. Why do we need to forgive one another? Firstly because God commands it! Secondly because we sin against one another don’t we! And we need to CHOOSE to release that person from the offense. How should we do this? “just as God in Christ also has Forgiven you.”Some people wrongly teach and believe to “forgive is to forget” as though you get some sort of spiritual amnesia! I don’t think so! FORGIVENESS IS A CHOICE. Christians alone have the CAPACITY to Forgive as they have the Power to Forgive- 2 Pet 1:3-4. To Chose to forgive is to release the person from the offense that they committed against you. No longer holding it against them, no grudges, not bringing it up again to be used to embarrass them, control through manipulating them. It is to restore them to the place they had before the offense was committed. See our Lord’s restoration of Peter in John 21.

FORGIVENESS IS A PROMISE. UNFORGIVENESS IS DEVOID OF LOVE- 1 Cor 13:5
Forgiveness is a Choice; Forgiveness is a Promise; Forgiveness is not optional but a command of God! And as we EXTEND FORGIVENESS we are Expressing Love to God- John 14:21 as we chose to Obey His Command to forgive- Eph 4:32

WOULDN’T IT BE WONDERFUL IF…
people would treat you like that, Accepting you; Bearing your burdens; Genuinely Caring for you; Devoting themselves to love you; Encouraging you; Forgiving you when you sin, wouldn’t that be Wonderful! Who would not want to be part of a congregation of people like that, a people who GENUINELY LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Who Identify with one another, who are Intimately Involved with the welfare of one another, oh dear brethren that is what we as Christians are to be to one another! As Wonderful as that would be if people would see and treat you as such…

WOULDN’T IT BE WONDERFUL IF…
YOU would treat other’s like that? Now, wouldn’t that be Wonderful!

TIME FOR PERSONAL INVENTORY
Is there anyone you are not Accepting of? Rom 15:7 teaches that if we do not, we do not Glorify God!

Is there anyone who has burden’s in which they cannot bear themselves and you  have the abilities and means to help bear their burden? Failure to do so is
not to fulfill the law of Christ-Gal 6:2 teaches, it is lovelessness

Is there anyone you are failing to Care for in the body of believers because  of pride?

ARE you DEVOTED to Gods People?

Is there Anyone who is a Recipient of Encouragement?
Did you know one reason for assembling together as believers according to Hebrews 3:13 is that we may encourage one another. When you get together with the saints are you actively seeking to encourage others, through listening, haring His Word and doing good to them? Or are you merely waiting for someone to make the move.

Is there anyone you are CHOOSING not to Forgive? That is sin, it is pride and it is a lack of understanding and appreciation of how much God suffered and how much YOU needed to be forgiven of GREAT SIN AGAINST GOD… and what cost it took to forgive you!

WHY IS IT NOT SO WONDERFUL?
ONE REASON we do not Live ACCEPTING, BEARING, CARING, DEVOTED, ENCOURAGING  and FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER because our FOCUS is on Pleasing Self and Preferring Self rather than living to “Please Him in all aspects”- Col 1:9 and failing to Live as God has said we should in Rom 15:2- EACH OF US IS TO PLEASE his neighbor, for HIS GOOD, to HIS EDIFICATION.” We are so self preoccupied and self centered, we often live as though we are lost individuals …

JESUS OUR MODEL;
Jesus life can be summed up in one word “OTHER’S” Can yours? Can mine? Its not because we do not have the power [unless a person is lost] it is because of one of three things primarily because of immaturity, ignorance or iniquity.” To Him who knows to do right and does not do it to him it is SIN”-  James 4:17, brethren it is TIME to Live as God commands us to in regards our relationship with ONE ANOTHER. Stop waiting and whining over what others are not to you instead CHOSE TO be what God commands you to be to them

WOULDN’T IT BE WONDERFUL if you would just live like that, Fully Accepting of one another, Bearing their Burdens, Caring for them, Encouraging them, Forgiving them…think how others would be benefited and God glorified if you did. Is there any reason you can’t?

THE Problem is usually we Focus on what others should be to us and we lose sight of what God commands us to be to others.

So how do we change?
A. Realize you are not responsible to change others, only yourself
B. Confess your sin to live to please God and prefer others instead having lived in relationships that others may live to Please and Prefer you. To THOSE WHO KNOWINGLY you have sinned against in this area, example husbands’ now would be a good time to humble yourself before your spouse, children … parents and ask for SPECIFIC forgiveness…]
C. ADOPT GOD’S VIEW -Renew your mind –{Rom 12:2 to see things  from Gods Perspective.; Phil 2:5- }

1. DELIBERATELY chose from this moment on to Live to Please the Lord-
[Col1 :9 would be a good verse for you to memorize along with Rom 15:2 ; so
the Holy Spirit can remind you when tempted to live for yourself other than
Him and Others]
2. DEPEND UPON THE HOLY SPIRIT to Enable AND bring about Permanent God honoring change IN you [Phil 2:12-13]
3. DENY YOURSELF- Luke 9:23 “Deny yourself daily”
4. DO THE WORD; Jam 1:21; 4:17
5. DISCERN–  With the PRACTICE of God’s Word comes discernment -Heb
5:13-14

Perhaps you may say, “I cant remember all that” to which I would reply, “Can
you remember when you are to be paid? Can you remember your date of birth, can you remember when someone makes a promise to you? You can well dearly beloved remember this;

If there are TWO people in a room, You are not the Most Important!!

Won’t it be Wonderful as you begin or continue or excel in Living ACCEPTING
OTHER; BEARING THE BURDENS OF OTHERS, CARING FOR OTHERS; DEVOTED IN LOVE TO
OTHERS, ENCOURAGING OTHERS; FORGIVING OTHERS…

Do YOU need to make some changes?

God bless you to be to OTHERS what God has empowered you to be… a servant
of Christ “By this ALL men will know you are My disciples through your love
ONE FOR ANOTHER”- JESUS CHRIST – John 13:34-35

OUR MOTIVATION for Preferring one another?
“SUBMIT yourselves to ONE ANOTHER out of REVERENCE FOR CHRIST”- Eph 5:21….

WORSHIP AND REVERENCE for Jesus Christ should be enough to motivate us … in light of what He did for OTHER’S including YOU and me

Did He not say that as we do to the least of others we have done unto Him? Matt 25:40

The way we treat others is in EXACT proportion to our Love or lack thereof for Him. -Matt 25:40;”…did unto Me…” Matt 25:45 “…you did not do for Me”

Our human relationships are but a Mirror of our Heavenly Relationship … how have we been treating Him recently?

Life is all about Relationships... God’s with you … Yours with Him and with others. Instead of saying “Wouldn’t it be Wonderful if…” We should be able to say “Isn’t is Wonderful because of…what He has done for us and of what we can be to ONE ANOTHER…”