Romans 1:12, “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.”

You acting like you don’t need anyone to help you or encourage you is NOT being Christlike. You being all self-sufficient, not accepting help, keeping to yourself and trying to do it on your own is NOT the example of Jesus.

Look at Jesus. He came to this earth with all the powers of God. He could have done absolutely anything at any point. He had no need for help. He was 100% sufficient in every way. Yet he still didn’t do this alone. He gathered up 12 guys and shared the journey with them. Not because he needed them, but because in his divine wisdom he knew it needed to be more than just him. He was equipped to be a one-man show, but he chose not to be. He chose friends for the journey, he chose disciples to serve with, he chose partnership.

This has been one of the hardest things for me to learn. I used to be so overwhelmed and stretched beyond my limits because I refused to let anyone help me. I carried the burden alone in an effort to not burden anyone else. It wasn’t out of a need to be in control, it was out of a need to not be a bother. The voice in my head told me everyone was busy with their own bigger things, I shouldn’t ask for help. And even when they offered, I would politely refuse because “bless their hearts, they don’t want the load I carry. I’ll just do this on my own.”

Do you honestly think Jesus needed the help of the disciples when feeding the crowd of 5,000? For real, Jesus could have instantly plopped an individual plate of food in front of each person in the crowd. He could have filled their pockets with snacks in an instant. But he didn’t. He intentionally chose to invite the disciples into partnership with him by allowing them to help. It was the disciples who managed the crowd and divided them into smaller groups. It was the disciples who distributed the food as Jesus blessed it and broke it. Jesus let them help. He held a space for them. It was good for them to be involved.

When God was leading the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and they came upon an impassable Red Sea, don’t you think God himself could have parted that sea? He didn’t need anyone to help him. He alone holds that power. But instead God invited Moses into partnership with him, supernaturally empowered the staff he had in his hand and told him to put that staff in the sea, THEN it parted and stood on it’s end for God’s people to pass through safely on dry ground. God didn’t need Moses, but God allowed Moses to help. God held space for him.

God is showing us how to NOT do everything on our own. He’s showing us how to accept help, share the journey and work in partnership. How are you doing with following his example?

My sister, why is this all on your plate? Why does it all depend on you? You wear your overwhelm and work load as if it were some sort of badge of honor. No girl, that’s not a badge of honor, that’s honestly a failure to be like Jesus. Jesus didn’t do it all be himself and you’re not supposed to either.

In our study of chapter 1 of Romans, we’re reading this letter written to the church in Rome from Paul. Paul had experienced a very personal encounter with Jesus. His life-changing encounter with Jesus one of my favorite stories and you can read it in Acts 9. Paul heard the literal voice of Jesus. He had been blinded for 3 days, then he was healed, saved, baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. He was filled with passion and on a mission to share the Good News of Jesus.

Paul knew not everyone had experienced this same encounter with Jesus. Not everyone was so on fire for Jesus. Not everyone was willing to sacrifice everything to serve Jesus like he was. But that didn’t make him believe he was the only one equipped to serve. His personal experience didn’t make him dismiss anyone else’s less dramatic experience with Jesus. He held space for others.

In his letter to the Romans, he writes (Romans 1:12), “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.”

Paul is saying YOU ARE IMPORTANT. YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH JESUS IS IMPORTANT. I WANT TO LEARN FROM YOU. YOUR FAITH CAN HELP ME TOO.

Paul followed the example of Jesus – he may not have needed them, but he held space for them. He valued them. And Paul’s work for God became bigger than just him because he allowed his circle to be bigger.

A few months ago, my friend Eva shared a story with me. She told me about her mentor who guided her when she was a brand new follower of Christ. This mentor was very grounded in her relationship with Jesus. She was strong and connected. But this mentor would call Eva and say, “Eva, I need you to pray for me.” Eva would say, “Me? Why me? I don’t know how to pray like you pray? What could my prayers do? My prayers aren’t as powerful as yours. I don’t have the right words.” And her mentor would encourage her, “No Eva, I need YOU to pray.”

She was teaching her that her prayers mattered. Today, Eva is a prayer warrior who will stop absolutely everything to pray with anyone. I believe that’s because her mentor cultivated that in her by making space for her prayers. Now, Eva is teaching me how to pray like that.

I can’t tell you how many times someone has messaged me and asked, “Pamela, how can I specifically pray for you.” I typically give a shallow response, as if either everything is just fine, or even worse, that their prayers wouldn’t really make a difference. THAT’S NOT LIKE JESUS AT ALL.

The night before Jesus went to the cross, he asked his friends to stay up and pray with him. As he prayed, his friends kept falling asleep. He asked them several times to keep watch with him and pray. Why would he do that? I believe he’s showing us how to hold space for others in our faith. You’re not in this alone, this journey is to be shared.

Hebrews 10: 24, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” The ESV translation says to “Stir up on another to love and good works.” The MSG translation says, “Discover creative ways to encourage others and motivate them towards acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love.”

Sure, maybe you could to the work on your own, but you’re not supposed to. You’re supposed to invite others into this work with you. Motivate each other, stir each other up, encourage each other, and do the work together.

Yes, I want YOU to pray. I’m not above you or better than you. I need YOU to pray. Would you?

I want YOU to help. There’s space for you and a role for you to play. You’re valued, you’re needed, and God works through YOU in a special way, not just me.

I want YOU to go with me. Not because I can’t do it by myself, but because we’re designed to be better together.

I’m encouraged by your faith – please share it with me. You matter. There’s space for you!

How will you hold space for someone else today? How will you show them they are valued and what God is doing in them is needed?

This is how we become more like Jesus – we invite others to work with us, maybe even while we really could do it ourselves. You’re not supposed to do this by yourself!

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