DCLM Daily Manna 4 October 2026: Let Your Life Edify Others
KEY VERSE: “Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification” (Romans 15:2).
TEXT: ROMANS 15:1–4
We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
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We are often quick to jump to conclusions about the conduct of other people. We judge them by our own personal standards, sometimes made more stringent than Christ’s commands. This is on the misplaced assumption that it makes us better Christians than others. We do not exercise patience enough to truly appreciate that, although we may be all children of God, we are not all at the same level of maturity and that our experiences in life differ from person to person.
Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was at this point moving away from theological to practical discussions. He sought to aggregate the quality of life expected of the believer. He listed guidelines that should govern how believers live and buttress their claim to being redeemed by Christ. He had earlier spoken about the need to make ourselves living sacrifices to God. He had urged believers to obey the rules set by the government for the good of the society. Now, he turned to the exhortation that we should love our neighbours and take care of fellow believers who seem weak in the faith or are not maturing at the same pace as others. We are urged to bear with this category of believers for the sake of their souls. More than that, we should endeavour to live to please others and not focus on ourselves. We are not to act in the obscene sense as men-pleasers but as helpers to those in genuine need of care and understanding. He recommended the life of Christ, which was dedicated to serving the purpose of sinful mankind.
Christ did not come to please Himself but lived in self-denial and self-sacrifice. By contrast, we are only encouraged to bear the failings of the weak among us. And the apostle reminds us that all things contained in the Scripture were meant to enlighten us on how best to live in this world and prepare us for the world to come. This is what gives us comfort and hope in this life.
We should always fight the temptation to focus on ourselves as we interact with other believers. Our goal should, at all times, be governed by the need to build up the body of Christ. We must never become so cold-hearted and oppressive as to always want to criticise others, as this could be damaging to their little faith and strength. Instead, we should, like Christ, positively help believers to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord. Our knowledge of the Scripture should influence how we behave now and condition our aspirations for the future.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Believers do not command respect; they attract the emulation of others.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: LUKE 5–6
DCLM Daily Manna 4 October 2026
