Our Scripture for today is Romans 15:7.
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.”
Looking back, my favorite fellowship has always been Thanksgiving dinner—the table full, hearts full, everyone gathered and, for just a moment, completely accepted. No one asked you to fix yourself first. You were simply welcomed.
That’s what Paul means in Romans 15:7. “Accept one another,” he says, “just as Christ accepted you.” Christ didn’t wait for us to be cleaned up or straightened out. He took us in, baggage and all. He didn’t demand perfection. He offered grace.
Acceptance doesn’t mean approval. It means making room—for quirks and questions, for hurts and habits. It’s seeing someone and saying, “You still belong.”
Too often, we reverse the order. We think people have to change before we accept them. But God starts with acceptance, and transformation follows.
In real life, acceptance looks like patience when someone is growing slowly. It sounds like listening when you’d rather lecture. It feels like choosing kindness when judgment would be easier.
So who’s on the outside looking in today? A coworker, a neighbor, a family member? Maybe it’s time to lay out the welcome mat—not just to your home, but to your heart.
Christ accepted us. Can we do any less?
I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.