Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

—Parallel verses:
Luke‬ ‭15:20-24
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate.

This encouragement in Romans “to accept each other as Christ accepted us”, reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son. As the story goes, a man had two sons, and one of them, out of pride, wanted to live life on his own. He asked for his inheritance and took it early and went to a far-off country and squandered it. He partied, he paid for expensive things, he bought friends; he wanted instant gratification in life. No real thought was given for how pulling half of the family assets out would have impacted everyone else. He thought only of himself. Over time, his money ran out. And so he went in search for work. But there was no work available, except for the dirtiest, filthiest job imaginable — feeding the pigs. He got paid so little, as he had no marketable skills, that he could not afford enough food. He hungered for the food of the pigs. And he thought of what he once had — and how much better that was than where he was now. So, he ran back home. And instead of judgment or a demotion from son to servant, he received a prince’s welcome from his Father! His Father ran to him and embraced him, while he was still far away. This means he had not given up on him, but was looking for him, probably every day possible. He was looking for him to turn back home to the truth. The royal robe, the ring, the fattened calf — it was all totally unexpected. It was God’s grace and mercy in full swing.

So back to our text, we see brothers and sisters around us who are “in process”. Reality is, we are too. And so, we have a choice: 1) We can, in pride, point out their weak areas and push them down to make us feel better about ourselves. Or, 2) We can embrace them while they are still a ways off and roll out the red carpet that leads to God’s saving grace. We can wait patiently, look to see when they will come to Jesus, and run to greet them and show them the forgiveness God has given us.

What will I choose? How about you? When we look at the body of work in our lives, what will have lasting value? Jesus loved and had compassion on his backstabbers and betrayers. He showed this world love without bounds. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.” (I Corinthians‬ ‭3:11-13‬)‬‬

‭‭What will be the quality of our work — our love for those around us? Will we accept them, all of their sin and muck and mire? Will we welcome them when they turn to Jesus, though they have hurt us? Will we accept them as Christ accepted us?

Lord, break my heart for those who wound me. Turn my frustration and my heartache into forgiveness and love. Only by your power and your Spirit can I live this way. I claim it!