Accept Each Other

“Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.” Romans 15:7

If ever there was time in history that we need to hear and understand these words, it is now. Accept each other. Jesus was all about accepting others who were not like him. Jesus loved the outcasts of society and showed them acceptance, leaving us an example to follow. Some of the outcasts Jesus loved were:

The Unclean. Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood and those who suffered from leprosy who were considered unclean.

Women. In Jesus day, it wasn’t normal for men to speak directly to women. But Jesus not only heals the woman with the issue of blood, he lovingly calls her daughter. Jesus spoke in length with the woman at the well and she became an evangelist by telling others about him. It was to women that Jesus first appeared following his resurrection.

Jesus showed acceptance to tax collectors, sinners and even the thief hanging on the cross next to him. But even beyond that, Jesus has accepted you and he has accepted me. No matter your race, your family history, your background, or whatever society thinks about you, as you turn your heart to him Jesus says, “I accept you.” In return, to glorify the Father, we should accept each other.