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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Romans 15:1-13
Set – Proverbs 27; Romans 15
Go! – Proverbs 25-27; Romans 15

Romans 15:1-13
¹ So now what? We who are strong are not just to satisfy our own desires. We are called to carry the weaknesses of those who are not strong. ² Each of us must strive to please our neighbors, pursuing their welfare so they will become strong. ³ The Anointed One Himself is our model for this kind of living, for He did not live to please Himself. And as the Scriptures declared, “When they insult You, they insult me.” ⁴ You see, everything written in the days of old was recorded to give us instructions for living. We find encouragement through the Scriptures and a call to perseverance that will produce hopeful living. ⁵ I pray that our God, who calls you and gives you perseverance and encouragement, will join all of you together to share one mind according to Jesus the Anointed. ⁶ In this unity, you will share one voice as you glorify the one True God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, our Liberating King.

⁷ So accept one another in the same way the Anointed has accepted you so that God will get the praise He is due. ⁸ For, as I am fond of saying, the Anointed One has become a servant of the Jews in order to demonstrate God’s truth. Effectively this confirms the promises He made to our ancestors ⁹ and causes the non-Jewish nations to glorify God for His mercy. As the Scriptures say,

For this I will praise You among the nations
and sing praises to Your name.
¹⁰ Again the Scriptures say,

Nations, celebrate with His covenant people.
¹¹ And again,

Praise the Lord, all nations.
Raise your voices, all people; let your praises flow to God.
¹² Again Isaiah says,

Then, the root of Jesse will emerge—
He rises to rule all the peoples of the world
who come to Him for guidance and direction.
In Him they place their hope.
¹³ I pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Paul spends a lot of time in his letter to the Romans talking about unity in the church, acceptance of people unlike yourself. Recognizing that the inviolate laws I laid down for you are few and simple based on just two, love Me and love others. If you keep these two you will keep the rest.

Love others and love Me and you will have unity. Love looks past differences. Love doesn’t care about the color of skin or the nationality of people. Love looks past language and culture. Love just sees people and their hurts, like Jesus did. Love sees the potential in the lowest of people and the highest of them.

Love looks to embrace all men and women in every station of life. Because love knows everyone needs love and love springs best from a heart guided by My Spirit. Until filled with and guided by My Spirit, people work for selfish motives and love extended works toward selfish ends. But once guided by My Spirit, love takes on a different role in the life of My children.

All My children begin to see others as I see them. You begin to see the potential I see in those around you. You begin to see into the hearts of the hurting souls that cry out for attention in the world you touch. You see opportunities to share what I am doing for you and what I can do for them.

Love changes everything…and brings everything together.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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