Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

May 16, 2019

by Pastor Hawtree

BIBLE READING: ROMANS 1

11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

There have been many times in my life when I needed some comfort. There were many times when I needed someone that would say some things, or remind me of some things, that would be comforting to me. Times when I was hurt, times when I was confused, and times where I have been angry. There have also been many times in my life where I could not find comfort, be it from a person, or even a family member. Sometimes we feel that we need answers in order to find comfort. Sometimes we feel like we need solutions in order to find comfort. But I must admit, I learned some things about comfort in this passage that I wanted to share. When it comes to choosing a verse or two in a chapter to do these devotionals, that is sometimes a difficult task. There are so many well-known passages that you feel obligated to comment on, that it is hard to know what to choose for one short devotional. This chapter is no exception. So, let’s take a rarely preached on passage, and learn something from it today.

“MUTUAL FAITH”
Paul says in this chapter, as he was writing to the Romans, that he was praying for them, that he wanted to see them, and that he wanted to help them grow spiritually. He says in verse 11 that he wanted to impart to them a spiritual gift. He also says that he wanted to help them become established with that spiritual gift. Now let’s make sure that we do not get confused. Our spiritual gifts do not come from a man, they’re given to us by the Lord. So, Paul is not talking about giving us a spiritual gift as described in scripture, he is simply talking about wanting to be a blessing to them, wanting to help them grow, and wanting to be a spiritual comfort to them. And just how does Paul say that he can do these things:
“MUTUAL FAITH”

This is how Christians are supposed to comfort each other. Not just tell each other that everything is going to be OK, and not just tell them that others have been through it and made it just fine. The way we are to comfort each other is with mutual faith. It means despite difficult circumstances; we should come together and find strength in each other by the faith that we each have in Christ. By the faith that we know that Jesus will never leave us nor for sake us. When I am hurting, I do not necessarily need anyone to say anything to me. I just need some brothers and sisters in Christ to exhibit mutual faith in the God I serve. I find comfort in that, and I find strength in that. Maybe we should worry less about the exact things to say to someone in need and strive more to live out the faith that we claim.