Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

“Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, 'How can I help?'” Romans 15:1-2 (The Message)

One of the best foundations for Venture Church that has led me to love serving is how well we welcome everyone. We truly are the church for the unchurched. God gives us so many opportunities to stand in the gap for one another. Just recently, Pastor Kyle, when teaching about Timothy, shared with our church just that. Just as he was sharing that message that very day, I was a part of two completely separate situations taking place where God was calling me to be that believer to stand in the gap and to lend a helping hand. One of the situations was a deeply personal call with a friend. The other was with someone I hardly knew who was connected with a service mission of our church. In both of those circumstances, I felt the direction of the Holy Spirit leading me to help. I could see God’s hand working things out through every detail.

I have learned through the development of my faith that when we lean on God during the dark valleys and the billowing storms, while He is protecting us, He is also taking us through a journey of growth. Sure, we can try to ride out the storms on our own, but I can’t even fathom what that would look or feel like. I can honestly say that during the tumultuous storms of my life, I found that my weakness was made strong by relying on God’s sovereign strength. I learned that relying on God’s strength would not only get me through the terrible valley, but I would come out of the valley with new tools and a testimony that would help fellow believers if they ever faced a similar situation. Can you relate?

As Christians, we are called to stand in the gap for each other. As I was preparing this devotion, I looked a little closer into what exactly is meant by standing in the gap. In the ancient world of the Bible, cities had walls surrounding them to provide protection from enemies. If the wall protecting the city was ever breached, those within the city walls were left vulnerable to destruction. The only way to secure it was for people to risk their lives by literally standing in the gap in the wall and fighting the enemy.

How many times do we have the opportunity to stand in the gap for our fellow brothers and sisters? As a fellow believer, are you willing? What does standing in the gap look like for you?

Some of the ways that we can stand in the gap for one another are through prayer, fasting on behalf of a specific need, or by being the hands and feet to someone in need.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Prayer: Dear God, we recognize the call through Your Word to step in and lend a hand to our fellow believers. We are so thankful for the help that You give us even though oftentimes we take for granted where the help comes from. Thank You for being such a loving Father. Giving Your Son to die on the cross for our sins was the most selfless example of standing in the gap on our behalf. We thank You for making the ultimate sacrifice so that we may experience eternal life. Amen. 

Family Devos: Romans 15 

By: Amy Stampley  

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model. 

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset 

Head

There are many examples in the Bible of Jesus helping others without any expectation that they would pay Him back. There was the time that He made a blind man see. There was the time that He helped a man walk who was not even able to stand up. Several times in the Bible, Jesus washed people’s feet without expecting them to wash His feet in return.  

Heart

Romans 15 challenges us to help others like Jesus did without expecting anything in return.  Maybe there’s a neighbor who had surgery and for a short time is unable to put their trash on the curb.  God calls us to serve others as His hands and His feet.  He means that He wants us to show His love without expecting anything in return.  

Hands

Look around the people near you for ways that you can help out.  What are some ways that you can do this?  

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father,  We want to show Your love to others by being Your hands and feet.  We want people to feel your love through our good actions.  Help show us the needs that others have where we can be of help.  We love You!  Amen.